KRUSENSTERN, Adam Johann Crusius von.
Voyage autour du monde, fait dans les années 1803, 1804, 1805 et 1806, par les ordres de Sa Majesté Impériale Alexandre Ier, empereur de Russie, sur les vaisseaux la Nadiejeda et la Neva, commandés par M. de Krusenstern, capitaine de vaisseau de la marine impériale.
Paris, Librairie de Gide et Fils, 1821. 2 text volumes and 1 atlas. 8vo and folio atlas. With 30 engraved plates (21 views and portraits, 9 maps and charts, of which 3 folding). Contemporary blind-tooled dark green goatskin, with a dark green morocco title label and a dark green morocco volume label on the spine, dark green buckram sides, marbled end papers. The atlas in contemporary gold- and blind-tooled dark green quarter goatskin, with the title lettered in gold on the spine, blue green cloth sides, marbled end papers. XII, 418, [2 blank]; [2 blank], [4], 531, [1 blank]; [4] pp. + 30 plates.
€ 40,000
Very scarce first French edition of the very important and significant account of the discoveries of Krusenstern. Borba de Moraes writes: "The expedition became famous as the beginning of Russian exploration in the North Pacific, on the Asian coast as well as the American. Krusenstern explored the northern part of the Sakhalin Island, concluding erroneously that it was a peninsula. This mistake was only corrected fifty years later by Nevelskoi. Besides its geographical interest, Krusenstern's account is also valuable for the study of the fur trade in the extreme north. From the Brazilian point of view the interest lies in the description of the expedition's stay in Santa Catharina."
The descriptions of the Marquesas Islands, Hawaii, and Japan are of great scientific importance. The views in the atlas show, among others the Marquesans, with five plates concerning Japan and two of the Ainu people. Among the charts are those of the Washington Isles, Port Ana Maria at Nukuhiva, Port Tschitschagoff, Nagasaki, Sakhalin, the Kuriles, and Awatscha Bay.
With a paper label (R. D. P.) on the front pastedown of volume 1 and the atlas, a manuscript shelf mark ("A. 14. R. 2.") on the first flyleaf of the two text volumes. The edges and corners of the boards of the text volumes are slightly scuffed. Some of the leaves are somewhat foxed around the margins. The joints of the boards of the atlas are slightly weakened, without affecting the structural integrity of the binding. The first and last few leaves are browned, with a water stain in the lower outer corner of the first few leaves, not affecting the images. Otherwise in good condition. Borba de Moraes I, 442; Forbes I 530; Hill 167-168; Sabin 38332; O'Reilly and Reitman 732 & 4728.
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