Description
[NAVY]
DU GUAY-TROUIN (René)
Memoirs of Monsieur Du Guay-Trouin, Lieutenant-General of the Naval Forces, Commander of the Royal and Military Order of St Louis. Supplemented by a eulogy by Mr Thomas.
Rouen: from the Privileged Press, 1788.
Small 8vo. Full fawn sheepskin binding. Ribbed spine, decorated with gilt fleurons. In-12, XXXVI, 33–351 pp, a portrait as a frontispiece (engraved by Meunier). 4 folding plates (out of 6). Notably missing is the ‘map of the bay and the city of Rio de Janeiro’, Glossary of nautical terms.
Tear on page 12, with no loss of text. (Polak, 2855). A few loose pages.
Rouen edition of the memoirs of Du Guay-Trouin (1673–1736), supplemented by his ‘eulogy’ by M. Thomas. His Memoirs, written in a simple style, make little attempt to present events in a favourable light. He does not hesitate to share his doubts and weaknesses regularly with astonishing sincerity. The work, which is brimming with anecdotes, also offers a valuable account of the navy in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, covering navigation, life on board and naval combat. At the end of the memoirs is a list of senior officers, and the crews of the King’s ships commanded by M. Du Guay-Trouin from 1702 to 1709, as well as a list of naval officers for the Rio de Janeiro expedition in 1711.
See original version (French)
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About the sale
Bibliophilia – A fine selection of antique and modern books
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Auction time
10/15/2026 at 1:00 PM
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