Histoire Naturelle, Civile, et Ecclesiastique de l'Empire du Japon, Compos‚e en Allemand, & traduite en Fran‡ois sur la Version Angloise de Jean-Gaspar Scheuchzer. Ouvrage enrichi de quantit‚ de Figures dessin‚es d'aprŠs le naturel par l'Auteur mˆme

The Hague, P. Gosse & J. Neaulme. 1729. folio, 35.5cm, The First Edition in French, in Two Volumes, lii,217,[1]; & 76,67-313,[1],36,39-73,[1],73-96pp., engraved title vignettes, engraved headpiece on first page of dedication, extra engraved title to vol. I, and with 45 engraved plates and maps, mostly folding; titles printed in red and black (rubricated), in contemporary full calf, real raised bands, gilt decorations and borders in the panels, new endpapers; neat early repair to the head of spine on vol. I , some damp staining to extra title; leaves of vol. I were guarded long ago, causing browning at gutter edge; pl. IV trimmed to neatline, pl. VII trimmed to neatline and laid down, and pl. VIII (large folding map of Japan) trimmed at head affecting upper portion of running title but not the map image itself; vol. II is extremely clean, an attractive set in contemporary binding. (cgc). Brunet III: 638. Cox I- p333. Cordier Japonica, 416. "Kaempfer was a well-known German physician and naturalist with a passion for travelling. Before his arrival in Japan, he had accompanied the Swedish embassy under Louis Fabricius to Persia, then engaged as surgeon with the Dutch fleet, visited India and Batavia, and at length reached Japan, where he stayed three years collecting material for his work. Here he secured the good will of the authorities so completely that he was allowed to travel where and as he pleased." This work has "long been recognised as the most authoritative account of that country published at that time" -(Cox) and was the chief source of Western knowledge of Japan for more than a century. The manuscript for this work was purchased, after Kaempfer's death, by Sir Hans Sloane, who had it translated from the German and published in 1727 as The History of Japan. This edition was based on that first English edition, and contains a biography of Kaempfer, his account of his travels in Japan, descriptions of the country's fauna and flora, and descriptions of several of the major cities. The appendices contain further information on tea, Japanese paper, methods of acupuncture, moxa, ambergris, and reasons and methods of the country's seclusion policy. A scarce work, and most important.