Description
VILLAUT (Nicolas).
An Account of the Coasts of Africa, known as Guinea; including a description of the country, the customs and way of life of the inhabitants, the produce of the land, and the goods brought from there, together with historical remarks on these coasts.
Paris: Denys Thierry, 1669. — In-12, 153 x 85: (3 ff.), 455 pp. Brown calfskin, decorated ribbed spine, mottled edges (contemporary binding).
A rare first edition, dedicated to Minister Colbert.
This is the first travel account of Guinea published in French in the 17th century. Its author, Nicolas Villaut (or Villault), Lord of Bellefond, recounts his journey of 1666–1667, providing a detailed description of the religion, manners and customs of the inhabitants, and offers observations on natural history, including a chapter devoted to gold. To justify the French presence on the western coasts of Africa, he recalls, in the final chapter, the expeditions undertaken by sailors from Dieppe as early as the 14th century, notably to Cape Verde, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
This copy bears several old signatures on the front endpapers (Pecollet, Rousseau, etc.), accompanied by this quatrain taken from an old nursery rhyme: ‘If, tempted by the devil, // you steal this book, // know that every scoundrel // is unworthy of life. ”
Provenance:
Pecollet, with signature. – Rousseau, with signature. – Joseph?, with signature. – Catholic Institute of Lille, with wet stamp on the front endpapers and title page.
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
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