Voyage de découvertes aux terres australes, exécuté par ordre du Roi, sur les corvettes Le Géographe, Le Naturaliste, et la goelette Le Casuarina, pendant les années 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803 et 1804 [...].

Text. 2 vol., 4to: [4]-xv-[1]-496-[2], front.-xxxi-[1]-471 pp.. Atlas (1 of 2 vol.): [3] ff.-14 pl. (Atlas of plates of the 1st vol. missing, text and atlas: some lvs sl. browned, foxing, some spots).

Contemp. marbled calf, roll-stamped boards, gilt orn. flat spines "à la grotesque", blue endpapers, blue marbled edges (spines sl. rubbed).

First edition of this journey of discovery commanded by Nicolas Thomas Baudin (France 1754-1803 Batavia) to examine the western and southern coasts of Australia ("New Holland"), from Sydney to Terre Napoleon (South Australia), and especially to investigate a belief that a strait existed linking the southern sea with the Gulf of Carpentaria, thus dividing New Holland into two large islands. Péron gives a full description of his six-month stay in Sydney, embodying a valuable account of life in the early years of the settlement. The front. in vol. II shows the French naturalist Péron (1775-1810) despite the fact that Freycinet completed his work. Vol. II is complete with its Atlas (14 maps of islands and Australia) and 2 fold. lvs (pp. 342 and 346 bis). Without the 2 rare lvs (often missing) at the end of vol. I (numb. "iv" and relating to the contents of vol. II which was not published until 9 years later).
Ref. Sabin 60998.
Prov. Jacques Benoît Powis de Tenbossche (1705-1764), Belgian bibliophile and iconophile whose library remained in the family and was partially sold during the 19th century (armorial bookplate). - [Georges Petit].