Introduction a la Geographie. Avec une Description Historique Sur touttes les parties de la Terre (Introduction to Geography. With a Historical Description on all parts of the Earth)
Paris: Guillaume Danet (Son-in law of the author), 1717. Second edition. Hardcover. Octavo. 197 (9)pp., 5 folding maps. Original calf with gilt lettering, tooling and ruling on spine; raised bands. Decorative endpapers. Title page with copperplate engravings of two hand-colored printed globes and black double-framing, California depicted as an island in this and two other maps. Second edition, augmented with longitudes and latitudes of major cities. Illustrated headpiece, decorative initials and endpieces. All pages with double frames; marginalia.
Introduction to geography by the French cartographer and engraver Nicolas de Fer (1646–1720), containing five folding copperplate engraved maps, four of them hand-colored. The first showing a general map of the globe with America in one, Europe, Africa and Australia in the second globe, both with North and South Poles. The margins are adorned with hand-colored portraits of significant explorers; Columbus, Vespuci, Shouten, etc. The second map is the only one in black and white. It depicts "La Sphere Artificielle." The third map shows Europe, the fourth Asia, the Middle-East and Oceania with parts of Europe and Africa, and finally North and South America depicted on the fifth. Contains list of cities and catalog of Fer publications at rear.
At the age of twelve Fer became an apprentice of the Parisian engraver Louis Spirinx. After the death of Fer's father in 1673, he also was a cartographer, Nicolas took over the business specializing in the production atlases, geography and cartography-oriented publications. Well connected to the Royal Court, Fer advanced to become the official geographer of the Philip V of Spain and Louis XIV of France. His numerous publications are considered artistic rather than accurate.
Text in French. Binding rubbed along edges and boards with front joint mostly cracked but holding together. Small plate of previous owner glued to upper inside front cover. Inked and penciled notes on verso of decorative front endpaper. Starting at title page. Some creasing and small closed tears of maps. B/w map with two inch tear reinforced with tape on verso. Map of Europe with four inch closed tear. Map of America also reinforced with three and a half inch paper strip on verso. Page ninety-three with remnants of black glossy paper glued to gutter and part of text, some loss of text. Binding in overall good-, interior in good to very good condition. Good- to very good condition. Item #50277
Price: $750.00