Extraits Raisonn‚s Des Voyages faits dans les parties septentrionales D L'Asie et De L'Am‚rique, ou nouvelles preuves de la possibilite d'un aux Indes par le Nord. Demontrees Par Mr. Engel

A Lausanne. chez Jules Henri Potts et Comp. 1779. 4to., 26cm, the First Edition, xxiv,258p., plus 2 very large rear 2 folding engraved maps on heavy paper, copper-engraving on first page of Dedication lead, and title-vignette, complete with half-title, original plain wraps backed in paper, with printer's paper sheets laid down on the inside of the wrappers, sewing shaken, the spine backstrip is a later paper, a very good, very large, uncut copy ~ in fold over green cloth shelve in slipcase of quarter dark green crushed morocco and green cloth boards, blind ruled raised bands, gilt spine titles, in fine condition, very rare. (cgc). Howes E-149. Cowan p195. Sabin 22569. Lada-Mocarski 18. Decker calls this "An important work in that the author carries on the Buache-Delisle, Mller-Bering controversy concerning the discovery of the Northwest Coast of America. Engel censures Mller, stating that the latter was 'wishing to curry favor with the Russian government' by exaggerating certain maps. Engel's work was first published in 1765 under the title 'M‚moires et Observations ...' See the Imago Mundi, a Periodical Review of Early Cartography, part 3, 1939 for an article by Breitfuss, which quite capably discusses the Buache-Delisle, Mller-Bering controversy." Cowan, p. 78 ("In this work the long-existing fiction concerning an insular California was definitely and finally removed"); Sabin 22569. Engel was a librarian, agriculturist and geographer, and author of several works on geography and economics. He was interested in geographical explorations and discoveries, particularly those dealing with the polar regions and he examined critically the maps and atlases of the leading cartographers of his day. "A valuable part of Engel's present work is his rejection of the persistent belief held by many of his contemporary geographers and cartographers that California was an island." He states unequivocally on p. 176 that "La Californie n'est pas une isle, mais une presqu'ile" ("California is not an island but a peninsula") In addition, he was fascinated by the relationship of the coasts of Asia and northwest America, and a large part of this work is dedicated to ascertaining the possibility of a northeast passage by the Arctic route. The two large, folding maps are especially noteworthy; the first is of the North American continent and is rich in coastal and inland detail, and the second illustrates the Arctic regions with smaller inset maps of California, etc. The work was first published in 1765 as "M‚moires et Observations Geographiques"; this is the second French edition, comprising re-issued sheets of the 1765 edition with a new half-title, title and four pages of corrections. A rare book, there is only one copy at auction back to 1954, including notice of one bastard (made-up) copy; not sold.