Description
SANSON (Nicolas).
Africa in several new and accurate maps; and in various treatises on geography and history…
Paris: published by the author, 1656. — In-4, 250 x 182: (51 ff.), 17 maps (out of 18). Soft parchment, smooth spine, partly covered with green paper, red edges (contemporary binding).
A rare first edition, dedicated to Nicolas Fouquet, Superintendent of Finances under Louis XIV, prior to his fall from grace.
This atlas, the third volume in a series of four devoted to the continents (Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas), is entirely dedicated to Africa. It comprises 17 maps (out of 18), engraved across double pages and in colour, depicting the continent as a whole as well as its various regions and countries: Morocco, Fez, Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli, the Barca Desert, Western Bidulgérid, Congo, the land of the Kaffirs, Egypt, Libya, Zanzibar, as well as islands such as Madagascar, Cape Verde, Madeira, the Canary Islands and Malta.
The map of Guinea is missing.
Each map is accompanied by detailed descriptions, combining geography, history and ethnography. These texts explore the physical characteristics of the territories (kingdoms, rivers, terrain), the ruling dynasties, significant events, as well as the customs, traditions and social organisations of African peoples, as perceived or imagined by 17th-century Europeans. Sanson drew on the accounts of Arab, Portuguese and Dutch travellers, earlier maps, astronomical observations, and the works of missionaries and diplomats. The collection thus offers a comprehensive overview of the knowledge available at the time regarding a continent that was still largely unknown.
Binding soiled, tears along the edges, paper covering the spine largely detached. Title page stained, foxing.
Provenance:
Ch. Chadenat, with a label from his bookshop.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
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
You may also like