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two old books sitting on top of each other on a white surfacean old book with a picture of a man and a woman sitting at a table in front of a window
Ader

4 - [BERNARDIN DE SAINT PIERRE (Henri)].
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Estimate €400 - €600
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Description
[BERNARDIN DE SAINT PIERRE (Henri)]. A Voyage to the Isle of France, the Isle of Bourbon, the Cape of Good Hope, &c. With New Observations on Nature and on Mankind. Amsterdam, Paris: Merlin, 1773. — 2 volumes in-8, 194 x 123: frontispiece, (2 ff.), 100 pp., 8 fold-out pages, pp. 101–328, 3 plates; (2 folios), 278 pp., 2 plates. Marbled calfskin, decorated ribbed spine, marbled edges (contemporary binding). First edition of this travelogue recounting the author’s expedition to Mauritius. In this work, Bernardin de Saint-Pierre combines naturalist observations (flora, fauna), socio-political reflections and portrayals of local cultures, whilst exploring themes such as colonialism and attachment to places. In his foreword, he clearly sets out his aim: ‘I shall consider myself to have been of service to mankind if this humble account of the plight of the unfortunate Black people can spare them a single lash, and if the Europeans, who in Europe cry out against tyranny and who write such fine treatises on morality, cease to be barbaric tyrants in the Indies ’ (p. iv). The edition is illustrated with six plates, three of which are after Moreau the Younger. It also includes four fold-out sheets showing the ‘Dimensions of the ship Le Marquis de Castries, of 700-tonne capacity’, the ‘Mast arrangement of the ship’, and the ‘Nautical observations, & table of the route, winds, etc. during the voyage’ from March to July 1768. A fine copy in a contemporary binding, from the library of the Château de Souverain Moulin. Some scuffing to the covers, corners slightly worn. Wormholes in the lower margin of the leaves of the second volume. Provenance: Château de Souverain Moulin, with bookplate. – Marquise de Chauvelin, with signature on the half-titles.
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About the sale Claude Mozis Library – Black Africa and the African diaspora
Auction location
Auction time 10/21/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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