[ROCHEFORT, Charles de].
Histoire naturelle et morale des Iles Antilles de l'Amérique ...
Rotterdam, Arnout Leers, 1658. 2 parts in 1 volume. 4to. With an engraved title-page, a woodcut printer's device on the typographical title-page, a full-page portrait of Amproux, 43 engraved plates in the text of all kinds of plants, trees, animals and costumes from the Antilles. Further with a divisional title-page for the second part, and woodcut decorated initials, head- and tailpieces throughout. Contemporary gold-tooled marbled calf, with a red morocco title-label lettered in gold, gold-tooled board edges, marbled edges, marbled endpapers, and a bright pink reading ribbon. [1], [1 blank], [12], 527, [12], [1 blank] pp.
€ 8,500
First edition of an important work on the geology and natural history of the Antilles and on the culture and history of the inhabitants of the different islands, by Charles de Rochefort (died ca. 1690). Most of the bibliographies are mistakenly attributing the work to César de Rochefort, a contemporary French jurist and lexicographer, or other supposed authors.
The work is an "important and valuable contribution to our knowledge of the Antilles and their inhabitants" (Sabin). Later editions, however, beginning with the first Dutch translation in 1662, mention Rochefort as the author on the title page, thus taking away much of the ambiguity. The book is dedicated to Jacques Amproux de Lorme, a counsellor of the French king, whose portrait is included as well. The Caribbean vocabulary, that can be found on pp. 515-27, was prepared by Raimond Breton.
Charles de Rochefort was pastor of the French Protestant Church in Rotterdam. He also resided several years in the West Indies.
With the blue bookplate of Luciani de Contagnet on the front pastedown, a manuscript inscription in brown ink on the verso of the first free end leaf, with the author's name added in manuscript to the title-page, a manuscript inscription on the verso of the title-page in black ink, and a 19th-century manuscript sales note on the recto of the last free end leaf ("Vente du 14 Xbre [Octobre] 1843 ..."). The binding is slightly rubbed, occasionally lightly foxed and stained. Otherwise in very good condition. Bibl. Americana 1332; Beinecke 46; Chadenat 7153 (ed. of 1681); JCB II, 484; Sabin 72314; STCN 840124384 (11 copies); USTC 18/39432 (11 copies, incl. 9 also in STCN); cf. Tiele 926 (1662 ed.).
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