De Bry, Theodor, and Johann Theodor and Johann Israel de Bry | A magnificent set of the Great American Voyages in Latin

De Bry, Theodor, and Johann Theodor and Johann Israel de Bry

[The Great or American Voyages in Latin, Parts I-XII]. Frankfurt or Oppenheim: Theodor De Bry and his heirs, 1590-1624

12 parts (of 13), bound in 12 volumes, folios (each approximately 338 x 232 mm). Uniform dark blue straight-grained morocco, covers with gilt rules and decoratively gilt border, spines with raised bands in seven compartments, second and fourth gilt-lettered, others with repeat decoration in gilt; some occasional and minor scuffing.  

Volumes comprising:

I. [Hariot, Thomas]. Admiranda Narratio fida tamen, de commodis et incolarum ritibus Virginiae, 1590. Frankfurt: Johann Wechel, 1590.  Engraved title, letterpress title to plates, engraved arms on dedication leaf, double-page map of Virginia, engraved plate of Adam and Eve with inscription “Iodocus a winghe in Io. Theodore de Brÿ fe,” 28 engraved plates after John White, with blank leaf after plate 23; lacking D6 blank, plates II, III, VII, X, XIII, XIIII, XVIII, XIX, and XX on tabs, XVIII with left margin restored, upper margin trimmed close, occasional and faint spotting, minor marginal browning. First edition, first issue. Church 140 

II. [Le Moyne, Jacques, et al.]. Brevis narratio eorum quae in Florida Americae provincia Gallis acciderunt..auctore Jacobo le Moyne. Frankfurt: Johann Wechel, 1591. Two engraved titles, engraved arms on dedication leaf, engraved text illustration of Noah sacrificing, double-page engraved map of Florida, and 42 engraved plates after Le Moyne; repairs to title, some offsetting, some soiling and expert repairs to map of Florida, marginal repairs to plate II, some generally unobtrusive foxing and marginal browning, blank leaf K6 lacking. First edition. Church 146

III. [Staden, Hans, and Jean Lery]. Americae tertia pars memorabile provinciae Brasiliae historiam contines ... scriptum a Ioane Stadio. Frankfurt: Theodor de Bry, 1592. Two engraved titles, engraved arms and dedication leaf, engraved plate of arms without virtues, folding engraved map of South America, 46 engraved illustrations including Adam and Eve illustration at p. 144; closed tear to map of South America expertly repaired, repair to lower margin of C1, generally unobtrusive foxing, some scattered browning and offsetting, worming and faint dampstaining to lower margin, lacking final blank. First edition, second issue, with de Bry imprint. Church 150/151 

IV. [Benzoni, Girolamo, part I]. Americae pars quarta scripta ab Hieronymo Bezono. Frankfurt: Ad invistiss. Rudolphus II, 1594. Engraved titles to text and to plates, engraved text illustration of arms with virtues, double-page engraved map of West Indies, engraved text illustration of Columbus led by marine deities, engraved text illustration of world map with medallion portraits of Columbus and Vespucci, 24 engraved plates numbered in Arabic numerals within plates, blank leaf R6 present; Blank F6 lacking, scattered spotting and minor dnowning. First edition. Church 153 

V. [Benzoni, Girolamo, part II]. Americae pars quinta. Frankfurt: Theodore de Bry, 1595. Two engraved titles, engraved portrait of Columbus with 11 lines of text, double-page map of New Spain, 22 engraved plates; minor marginal browning and offsetting, a few stray spots, tiny holes to f2 and f3, lacking F4 blank. First edition. Church 156 

VI. [Benzoni, Girolamo, conclusion]. Americae pars sexta. Frankfurt: Theodore de Bry, 1596. Two engraved titles, double-page map of Western Hemisphere with figures of Columbus, Magellan, Pizarro, and Vespucci, double-page view of Cuzco, 28 engraved plates; light foxing, minor marginal repairs to map, lacking G6 blank. First edition. Church 158

VII. [Schmidel, Ulrich]. Americae pars VII. Verissima et iucundissima descriptio praecipuarum quarundam Indiae regionum & insularum. Frankfurt: Theodore de Bry, 1599. Engraved title surround, engraved illustration; scattered spotting and marginal browning, lacking H4 blank. First edition. Church 161

VIII. [Drake, Francis, Thomas Cavendish, and Walter Raleigh]. Americae pars VIII continens primo, descriptionem trium itinerum. Frankfurt: Widow & Sons of Theodore de Bry, 1599. Letterpress title to text with engraved vignette map of the world showing Drake's circumnavigation, engraved map of the world on leaf KK4 showing Cavendish’s circumnavigation, double-page engraved map of Guiana with Latin and many German inscriptions, engraved map of North Atlantic on leaf Aa2, and 18 plates; map of Guiana shaved, marginal repairs to plates VI-IX, primarily marginal browning, light and scattered spotting, lacking e4 blank. First edition. Church 164

IX. [Acosta, Joseph, et al]. Americae nona & postrema pars. Frankfurt: For Mathias Becker, 1602. Letterpress title within engraved border, 4 section titles, 2 with vignettes, dedication leaf with engraved arms, map of Straits of Magellan, 39 engraved plates numbered I-XXV and I-XIV, leaf YY6 blank; some foxing, occasional browning and offsetting, lacking blank ddd4. First edition. Church 168

X. [Vespucci, Amerigo, Ralph Hamor, and John Smith]. Americae pars decima: qua continentur, I. duae navigationes D[omi]n[i] Americi Vesputii … II. Solida narratio de moderno provinciae Virginiae … authore Raphe Hamor … III. Vera descriptio Novae Angliae … a Capitaneo Johanne Schmidt. Oppenheim: Hieronymus Gallerus, 1619. Letterpress title to text with engraved vignette, letterpress title to plates, 12 engraved plates, leaf I4 blank; lacking blank leaf c4, some foxing and light offsetting. First edition. Church 170

XI. [Schouten, Willem, and Joris van Spilbergen]. Americae pars undecima: Seu description admirandi intineris a Guillielmo Schouten … peracti. Oppenheim: Hieronymus Gallerus, 1619. Two letterpress titles with engraved vignettes, 2 letterpress section titles, 3 maps of New Guinea, the South Sea, and Straits of Magellan (repeat of one in part IX), 29 plates, blank leaves F6, D6; expert repair to fold of map of the South Sea, faint dampstaining to map of Straits of Magellan, lacking map of Mar di India which is laid in in excellent facsimile, some browning and occasional foxing, closed tear to D6 repaired, one or two marginal repairs to plates, some short closed marginal tears and chips, lacking e6 blank. First edition. Church 172

XII. [Herrera, Antonio, et al.]. Novi orbis pars duodecima. Sive descriptio Indiae occidentalis, auctore Antonio de Herrera. Frankfurt: for heirs of Johann Theodor de Bry, 1624. Letterpress title with engraved border, letterpress title, double-page map of the western hemisphere, 19 engraved text illustrations, 14 engraved maps, one of which double-page; some light browning and scattered foxing, offsetting, closed tear to double hemisphere map expertly repaired, map of Las Indias Ocidentalis tipped onto tab, a few marginal repairs to text leaves, a few minor repairs to verso of maps, more extensive repairs to final map. First edition. Church 173

A magnificent set of the most famous and influential of all collections of voyages, including a particularly fine copy of the highly esteemed first part, Hariot's Virginia. The iconography disseminated through de Bry's popular compilation of travel narratives dominated the European view of the New World for more than a century after their publication. The exceptional ethnographic engravings in the first two parts are of special importance for the study of Native American life at the time of the first encroachment of Europeans. Throughout the set, however, many engravings include images of flora, fauna, and topography that provide interesting details about the way America looked in the sixteenth century and the way Europeans saw her. Sold, as usual, not subject to return.

REFERENCE

Celebration of My Country 1