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STEVENS, John, Capt. (ca 1662-1726), editor and translator. A New Collection of Voyages and Travels: with Historical Accounts of Discoveries and Conquests In all Parts of the World. None of them ever before Printed in English... For the Month of December, 1708. To be continu'd Monthly. London: printed, and sold by J. Knapton, J. Round, N. Cliffe, E.Sanger, and A. Collins, 1708.
7 parts in 2 volumes, small 4o (198 x 158 mm). 5 engraved plates (one folding), and 5 engraved maps, (4 folding), 2-page publisher's advertisement at beginning of vol. 1 and one-page announcement of Argensola's work on last leaf. (Tiny rust hole to B2 of part 2 [Cieza de Leon] affecting 6 letters, part 3 [Lawson] without the initial blank leaf, short tear to mount of folding map of part 4 [Moutte], part 5 [Teixeira] without quire A [as usual?], repaired marginal tear to I2, ink stain to the map of part 7 [Almeida], obscuring part of the headline and border, hole to G1 affecting 10 letters, some scattered light foxing and browning to text and plates.) Later 18th-century calf, covers blind-panelled, spines with 19th-century calf lettering pieces and gilt-lettering, edges speckled red, volume numbers lettered in ink on fore-edges (rebacked, preserving old spine). Provenance: GEORGE II (1683-1760), King of England (two different bookplates on both pastedowns); Henry Cunliffe (bookplate); Pierre S. duPont III (his sale Christie's New York, 8 October 1991, lot 239).
KING GEORGE II'S COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION OF THIS COLLECTION OF SEVEN WORKS, INCLUDING LAWSON'S A NEW VOYAGE TO CAROLINA THE FIRST HISTORY OF CAROLINA
ALL FIRST EDITIONS IN ENGLISH, issued in 14 installments from December 1708 to January 1710, each with separate pagination and signatures. 4 with separate title-pages, vol. 2 with general (or monthly part) title "A View of the Universe: or a new Collection of Voyages and Travels... This for January 1710, begins the Entertaining Travels of the Sieur Mouette ..."
COMPRISING:
1. LEONARDO Y ARGENSOLA, Bartolomé Juan. The Discovery and Conquest of the Molucco and Philippine Islands, 1708.
2. CIEZA DE LEON, Pedro. The Seventeen Years Travels... Through... Peru, 1709.
3. LAWSON, John. A New Voyage to Carolina, Containing the Exact Description and Natural History of that Country, together with the present State thereof. And a Journal of a Thousand Miles, Travel'd thro' several Nations of Indians. Giving a particular Account of their Customs, Manners &c, 1709.
4. MOUETTE, Germain. The Travels...In the Kingdoms of Fez and Morocco During his Eleven Years Captivity in those Parts, 1710.
5. TEIXEIRA, Pedro. The Travels...from India to Italy by Land, 1710.
6. CAUCHE, Francis. A Voyage to Madagascar, 1710.
7. ALMEIDA, Manuel de. The Travels of the Jesuits in Ethiopia [attributed to Balthazar Telles]; the last only with separate title-page.
John Stevens was a gifted scholar and prolific translator of Spanish and Portuguese texts. In this early publication in parts he made known to the English public several important works, including two essential accounts of America, his slightly abridged version of Cieza de Leon's Chronica del Peru (first published in 1553 in Seville), one of the most accurate and intelligent eyewitness accounts of Peruvian Indian culture before its destruction, and considered to be "one of the most remarkable literary productions of the age of Spanish conquest in America" (Hill p.375, quoting Markham and Prescott); and Lawson's New Voyage to Carolina, the first history of Carolina, "the relation of a man of acute habits of observation, some intelligence, and doubtless entire veracity regarding the Indians of North Carolina at a very interesting period of their existence" (Field 899). Lawson's job was to survey the Carolina back country in preparation for dividing the original colony of Carolina into what eventually became the three royal colonies of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. As "the precursor of the settler" (ibid.) he was hated by the Indians, captured by them in 1711 and burned at the stake.
Copies of some of the parts come up separately; but complete copies of the collection are very rare. Alden & Landis 708/130; Field 316 (Cieza de Leon) and 899 (Lawson); Hill 1007 (Argensola); Sabin 91537 (and 13057, 39451, and 1948); Vail Frontier 311 (Lawson). (2)
7 parts in 2 volumes, small 4
KING GEORGE II'S COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION OF THIS COLLECTION OF SEVEN WORKS, INCLUDING LAWSON'S A NEW VOYAGE TO CAROLINA THE FIRST HISTORY OF CAROLINA
ALL FIRST EDITIONS IN ENGLISH, issued in 14 installments from December 1708 to January 1710, each with separate pagination and signatures. 4 with separate title-pages, vol. 2 with general (or monthly part) title "A View of the Universe: or a new Collection of Voyages and Travels... This for January 1710, begins the Entertaining Travels of the Sieur Mouette ..."
COMPRISING:
1. LEONARDO Y ARGENSOLA, Bartolomé Juan. The Discovery and Conquest of the Molucco and Philippine Islands, 1708.
2. CIEZA DE LEON, Pedro. The Seventeen Years Travels... Through... Peru, 1709.
3. LAWSON, John. A New Voyage to Carolina, Containing the Exact Description and Natural History of that Country, together with the present State thereof. And a Journal of a Thousand Miles, Travel'd thro' several Nations of Indians. Giving a particular Account of their Customs, Manners &c, 1709.
4. MOUETTE, Germain. The Travels...In the Kingdoms of Fez and Morocco During his Eleven Years Captivity in those Parts, 1710.
5. TEIXEIRA, Pedro. The Travels...from India to Italy by Land, 1710.
6. CAUCHE, Francis. A Voyage to Madagascar, 1710.
7. ALMEIDA, Manuel de. The Travels of the Jesuits in Ethiopia [attributed to Balthazar Telles]; the last only with separate title-page.
John Stevens was a gifted scholar and prolific translator of Spanish and Portuguese texts. In this early publication in parts he made known to the English public several important works, including two essential accounts of America, his slightly abridged version of Cieza de Leon's Chronica del Peru (first published in 1553 in Seville), one of the most accurate and intelligent eyewitness accounts of Peruvian Indian culture before its destruction, and considered to be "one of the most remarkable literary productions of the age of Spanish conquest in America" (Hill p.375, quoting Markham and Prescott); and Lawson's New Voyage to Carolina, the first history of Carolina, "the relation of a man of acute habits of observation, some intelligence, and doubtless entire veracity regarding the Indians of North Carolina at a very interesting period of their existence" (Field 899). Lawson's job was to survey the Carolina back country in preparation for dividing the original colony of Carolina into what eventually became the three royal colonies of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. As "the precursor of the settler" (ibid.) he was hated by the Indians, captured by them in 1711 and burned at the stake.
Copies of some of the parts come up separately; but complete copies of the collection are very rare. Alden & Landis 708/130; Field 316 (Cieza de Leon) and 899 (Lawson); Hill 1007 (Argensola); Sabin 91537 (and 13057, 39451, and 1948); Vail Frontier 311 (Lawson). (2)