The Discovery of the Mississippi
Melchisédech Thévenot, 1682
Details
The Discovery of the Mississippi
Melchisédech Thévenot, 1682
“Containing, as it does, the first publication of Dablon’s account of Marquette’s and Joliet’s 1673 discovery of the Mississippi [Thévenot’s Recueil enjoys] top rank on the subject of early French activities in the region” (Howes)
A great rarity, the second issue of the first edition of Thévenot’s travels, “an essential document in the exploration of the interior of North America” (Reese). This copy with the Mississippi map in the extremely rare second state (all copies known to Burden of the first edition book have third state maps). Thévenot’s work includes a panoply of firsts, including: the first map to delineate the Mississippi River from first-hand experience, the first map to name Michigan, and even the first French map devoted to Australia.
“The most notable aspect of Thévenot is the first publication of Father Marquette’s relation of his discovery, with Joliet, of the upper Mississippi River and their exploration as far as the Arkansas River in 1673. This remarkable expedition established the basic structure of the Mississippi headwaters for the first time and opened the way for dominance of the French in the Mississippi Valley over the next century. Their account begins on May 17, 1673, when the party set out in two canoes from Mackinac. They reached the Mississippi via Green Bay and the Fox River on June 17, floated as far south as the Arkansas, and returned north by way of the Illinois and Des Plaines rivers and the later site of Chicago” (Reese).
There is wide variation in the collation from copy to copy, with the parts bound in different orders and the natural history parts often found incomplete. This copy lacks only the 8-leaf section on the entomological cabinet of M. Swammerdam. The spirit level engraving is present twice, in both Church’s first and third described states in terms of placement. Some say that Thévenot invented the spirit level. There are two engraved maps, the one depicting the Mississippi and Lake Michigan; and the other, even larger map, depicting the discoveries of Abel Tasman from 1644. The Mississippi and Lake Michigan map is in the extremely rare second state, with the Gulf of Mexico named but bearing the erroneous date of 1663 instead of 1673. According to Burden, this was almost certainly a proof and he knew of only one copy.
This Tasman map is both one of the first separate maps of Australia, and one of the first to show the coastline in detail. Burden 540; Church 672 (state 3); Clements, One Hundred Michigan Rarities 4; Alden & Landis 681/141 ("Order of pts is differently arranged in various copies"); Graff 4122; Harrisse Nouvelle France 147; Howes T-156 (“b”); Reese, Celebration of My Country 11; Sabin 95332; Streeter sale 101; Tooley, Australia, 1248.
Octavo (169 x 106mm). Two folding engraved maps; five engraved plates, two of which are folding and including a duplicate of the spirit level plates, one with letterpress “Explication” text on verso and one pasted to blank p.44; ten additional engravings in text, some full-page; and a folding woodcut chart with letterpress text. Without final blank. (A little toning and thumbing, a narrow marginal dampstain to a few leaves at gutter, Mississippi map trimmed at lower border with loss of latitude markings, Tasman maps with folds a little worn, woodcut map with a repaired stub tear). Contemporary blind-ruled calf spine gilt in six compartments, red morocco lettering piece in one (rebacked preserving original spine and endpapers, corners repaired, spine rubbed and some crazing to covers).
Melchisédech Thévenot, 1682
“Containing, as it does, the first publication of Dablon’s account of Marquette’s and Joliet’s 1673 discovery of the Mississippi [Thévenot’s Recueil enjoys] top rank on the subject of early French activities in the region” (Howes)
A great rarity, the second issue of the first edition of Thévenot’s travels, “an essential document in the exploration of the interior of North America” (Reese). This copy with the Mississippi map in the extremely rare second state (all copies known to Burden of the first edition book have third state maps). Thévenot’s work includes a panoply of firsts, including: the first map to delineate the Mississippi River from first-hand experience, the first map to name Michigan, and even the first French map devoted to Australia.
“The most notable aspect of Thévenot is the first publication of Father Marquette’s relation of his discovery, with Joliet, of the upper Mississippi River and their exploration as far as the Arkansas River in 1673. This remarkable expedition established the basic structure of the Mississippi headwaters for the first time and opened the way for dominance of the French in the Mississippi Valley over the next century. Their account begins on May 17, 1673, when the party set out in two canoes from Mackinac. They reached the Mississippi via Green Bay and the Fox River on June 17, floated as far south as the Arkansas, and returned north by way of the Illinois and Des Plaines rivers and the later site of Chicago” (Reese).
There is wide variation in the collation from copy to copy, with the parts bound in different orders and the natural history parts often found incomplete. This copy lacks only the 8-leaf section on the entomological cabinet of M. Swammerdam. The spirit level engraving is present twice, in both Church’s first and third described states in terms of placement. Some say that Thévenot invented the spirit level. There are two engraved maps, the one depicting the Mississippi and Lake Michigan; and the other, even larger map, depicting the discoveries of Abel Tasman from 1644. The Mississippi and Lake Michigan map is in the extremely rare second state, with the Gulf of Mexico named but bearing the erroneous date of 1663 instead of 1673. According to Burden, this was almost certainly a proof and he knew of only one copy.
This Tasman map is both one of the first separate maps of Australia, and one of the first to show the coastline in detail. Burden 540; Church 672 (state 3); Clements, One Hundred Michigan Rarities 4; Alden & Landis 681/141 ("Order of pts is differently arranged in various copies"); Graff 4122; Harrisse Nouvelle France 147; Howes T-156 (“b”); Reese, Celebration of My Country 11; Sabin 95332; Streeter sale 101; Tooley, Australia, 1248.
Octavo (169 x 106mm). Two folding engraved maps; five engraved plates, two of which are folding and including a duplicate of the spirit level plates, one with letterpress “Explication” text on verso and one pasted to blank p.44; ten additional engravings in text, some full-page; and a folding woodcut chart with letterpress text. Without final blank. (A little toning and thumbing, a narrow marginal dampstain to a few leaves at gutter, Mississippi map trimmed at lower border with loss of latitude markings, Tasman maps with folds a little worn, woodcut map with a repaired stub tear). Contemporary blind-ruled calf spine gilt in six compartments, red morocco lettering piece in one (rebacked preserving original spine and endpapers, corners repaired, spine rubbed and some crazing to covers).
Provenance
Jean DuMiex? (early deleted ownership inscription on title)
mostly removed letterpress bookplate
mostly removed letterpress bookplate
Brought to you by
Christina Geiger
Head of Department