1664. · Paris
by Biet, Antoine
Paris: François Clovzier, 1664.. [24],432pp. Woodcut decorations. Small quarto. Contemporary mottled calf, ruled in blind, spine richly gilt with raised bands, a.e.g. Lightly rubbed, some loss to gilding on spine. Quite clean internally. A very good copy. One of the primary sources for the French ventures in Guiana. Biet was a French priest who went to the West Indies in 1652 as chaplain to an ultimately unsuccessful expedition of 700 emigrants seeking to found a new colony. The work is divided into three sections. The first part describes his transatlantic voyage; the second part describes events at the colony for the next fifteen months; and the third part provides a description of the country, its resources, and its inhabitants, including a considerable glossary of the Galibi language. The author also travelled to Barbados, Martinique, and Guadeloupe, and offers some useful information about those regions. His account of Barbados is particularly valuable, as it provides a rare window into life on that island in the early days of the "Sugar Revolution." Crouse, FRENCH PIONEERS IN THE WEST INDIES, p.273. PILLING, PROOF-SHEETS 383. SABIN 5269. EUROPEAN AMERICANA 664/15. LeCLERC 165. Handler, BARBADOS HISTORY, p.5. MAGGS BIBLIOTHECA AMERICANA V:4336.
(Inventory #: WRCAM47166A)