Beschreibung:

BELLIN, Jacques Nicolas (1703-1772). Le Petit Atlas maritime recueil de cartes et plans des quatre parties du Monde . Paris: Bellin, 1764. A very attractive copy of the first edition of one of the best-known pieces of 18 th -century French cartography, with the maps coloured by a contemporary hand. For this finely-engraved atlas, Bellin reproduced in a smaller size many of the maps and charts from his previous atlases, but ‘ there is also a large amount of fresh material ' (NMM). The maps and charts in the atlas are arranged geographically, starting with North America including the Antilles, followed by South America ( nearly 200 plates for the Americas , though, as NMM points out, the plate count is inconsistent between sets), then Asia, Africa, Europe, and detailed coastal charts of France. NMM III(1), 211; Phillips Atlases 638. 6 parts in 5 volumes (volume 3 in 2 parts), quarto (330 x 240mm). Engraved general title, 6 engraved divisional titles, engraved dedication and contents leaves and 576 engraved maps, charts and plans by Croisey in contemporary hand colour, of which 186 double-page and 12 folding: volume 1: L'Amerique Septentrionale (102 plates); volume 2: L'Amerique Meridionale (89 plates); volume 3, part I: L'Asie (69 plates); volume III, part II: L'Afrique (70-124 plates) including plate 92 bis; volume IV: L'Europe (128 plates); volume V: Les costes de France (132 plates). Contemporary full calf, spines lavishly gilt, red and green morocco lettering-pieces (spines skilfully repaired at head and foot).