1752 VOYAGE HISTORIQUE de L'AMERIQUE MERIDIONALE antique ILLUSTRATED 2 VOLUMES

(South America)

Ulloa, Antonio de; and Jorge y Santacilla.

Voyage Historique de l'Amerique Meridionale

Amsterdam: Arkste'e & Merkus, 1752 

(A Voyage to South America made by the order of the King of Spain)

2 frontispiece plates,

54 (of 55) plates.


3 parts in 2 volumes


4to

gilt-ruled original calf, spine gilt in 6 compartments, marbled edges, worn binding , joints split, 1 plate missing, very good interior

ink ex-libris annotation to front cover of volume 1,

occasional red and blue pencil annotations to text and plates,

sections of Plate XV and XXIX have been colored in,

a few plates have ex-libris stamp to verso,


Verplanck Colvin bookplate to front pastedown of both volumes



FIRST FRENCH EDITION

The French Geodesic Mission measured the curvature of the earth at the equator in what is now know as Ecuador.
Ulloa and Juan y Santacilla were Spanish naval officers who accompanied the expedition.
On their return, they published this important study of their travels, with a particular focus on Peruvian and Incan culture.

(Hill 1740; Sabin 3612)

Size 8 by 10 1/4"

Text in French
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The first major international scientific expedition, it served to measure an arc measurement to infer the Earth's radius. Additionally, they "tapped" into local knowledge and became the first Europeans to discover and scientifically document rubber tapping (and thus rubber) as well as identifying the correct type of cinchona tree that produces the active form of quinine (an important anti-malarial agent).
Antonio de Ulloa described for the first time in European literature a metal he described as "platina," now known as platinum.
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