Beschreibung:

FIRST EDITION OF CHAPPE D'AUTEROCHE'S INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF SIBERIA TOGETHER WITH KRASHENINNIKOV'S KAMTCHATKA (3). CHAPPE D'AUTEROCHE, JEAN. Voyage en Sibérie, Fait par ordre du Roi en 1761; Contenant Les Moeurs, les Usages des Russes, et leur État Actuel; la Description géographique & le Nivellement de la Route de Paris à Tobolsk; l'Histoire naturelle de la même route; des Observations astronomiques, &des Expériences sur l'Electricité naturelle: Enrichi de Cartes Géographiques, de Plans, de Profils du Terrein; de Gravures qui représentent les usages des Russes, leurs moeurs, leurs habillements, les Divinités des Calmouks, & plusieurs morceaux d'histoire naturelle. Par M. L'Abbé Chappe d'Auteroche, de l'Académie royale des Sciences. I:1-2. Paris (chez Debure, printed by Didot) 1768. Without the atlas volume. 2 volumes in imperial 4to (336x252 mm). 1 engraved frontispiece, title with large engraved vignette, (4), viii, (1)-316; (4), (317)-687, (1) pp. (Pages 651-52 and 683-84 repeated in pagination). Engraved frontispiece by J. B. Tilliard after J. B. Le Prince and 36 engraved plates by Le Bas, Tilliard, de St Aubin, Baquoy, et al. after J. B. Le Prince and Caresme de Fecamp (complete, of which 4 folding plates), first title with engraved text vignette, 1 engraved text vignette on page 1 (plates partly browned or foxed mostly to margins, some spotting to margins, some engravings misbound in the second volume, some partly loose). Title to vol. 1 reinforced in margin and a few of the following leaves, second leaf repaired in margin, leaves in the beginning with worming in upper margin, tear in margin on page 136 and 718, some text leaves slightly loose, text partly foxed or browned. + KRAJENINNIKOV (KRASHENINNIKOV, Stepan Petrovitj). Voyage en Sibérie, Contenant La Déscription du Kamtchatka, ou l'on trouve I. Les Moeurs et Coutumes des Habitants du Kamtchatka. II. La Géographie du Kamtchatka, & des Pays circonvoisins. III. Les avantages et les désavantages du Kamtchatka. IV. La réduction du Kamtchatka par les Russes, les révoltes arrivées en différents temps, & l'état actuel des Forts de la Russie dans ce Pays. Par M. Kracheninnikow, Professeur de l'Académie des Sciences de Saint-Pétersbourg. Traduit du Russe. Paris (chez Debure) 1768. Imperial 4to (340x255 mm). 17 engraved plates after Le Prince and Moreau (complete, plates partly browned or foxed mostly in margins, some spotting in margins, some engravings misbound in the second volume, some partly loose). Text partly foxed or browned. All three volumes in 19th century half vellum bindings, slightly worn, some corners browned, richly gilt spines with red and green title labels, marbled boards. Large paper copy, text untrimmed. First edition, and LARGE PAPER COPY of Chappe d'Auteroche's illustrated account of Siberia. Without the separate atlas volume. Abbé Jean Chappe d'Auteroche (1722-69), French astronomer and priest who in 1761 was sent to Russia to make observations regarding Venus. He died in California on another astronomical journey. The account deals, among other things, with astronomy, climate, animal life, mineralogy and the city of Tobolsk. A smaller edition was also published in Amsterdam 1769-70. The last volume contains Chappe d'Auteroche's translation of Krasheninnikov's description of Kamchatka (St. Petersburg 1755) which deals partly with Alsaka "[It] is of great importance, as it relates very considerably to Alaska and the northwest coast of America" (Hill pp 48-49). Stepan Petrovich Krasheninnikov (Russian: ?????´? ?????´??? ???????´??????) (1711 - 1755), was a Russian explorer of Siberia, naturalist and geographer who was part of Vitus Bering's Second Kamchatka expedition in 1731-42 and accompanied professor Gmelin on the travel through the Urals and western Siberia to Yeniseysk. His work is considered to be the first full description of Kamchatka. He was elected to the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1745. Bought at Librairie Ancienne (M. Illi) in Genève