DE ZEDEN DER WILDEN VAN AMERIKA

Book Description

The Hague: Gerard Vander Poel, 1731. First Edition. vellum. Some light toning throughout; upper joint split, covers bowed and soiled. Very Good. Two folio (7-3/4" x 12") volumes bound in one in contemporary full Dutch vellum, covers tooled in blind with large central blocked arabesque, spine in eight compartments with raised bands, early manuscript titling to the second compartment. Titles in red and black with engraved vignettes. Illustrated with an engraved frontispiece, a map, and 41 plates. First Dutch Edition of a key work on Native American peoples. Lafitau was assigned as a Jesuit missionary to Canada from 1711-1718 and was based for much of that period among the Iroquois at Sault Saint-Louis. His work, written in an attempt to prove that the native American peoples were descended from Tartar stock, provides a wealth of information on the customs, religious beliefs, and social organization of the Iroquois and the other northern tribes. Field 851: "a grand cyclopaedia of Indian history, and the customs at that date"; Howes L22; JCB (I), page 472; Lande S1194: "This is one of the most beautiful editions of Lafitau's works"; Sabin 38598; TPL 159.

Not sure what some of these terms mean? Look it up in our glossary.