[Raynal, Guillaume-Thomas-François]. - A Philosophical and P - Lot 569

[Raynal, Guillaume-Thomas-François]. - A Philosophical and Political History of the Settlements and Trade of the Europeans in the Two Indies. Geneva, Les Libraires Associés, 1775. 3 in-4 volumes bound in full period calfskin, spined with decorative raised bands, title and volume number labels (in red and green) — tears at the top cap and 2 small wormholes at the joints of Vol. I, scuffs and scratches on the covers — [2 ff., frontispiece-title page, title page], iv pp. (explanation of the engravings), viii pp. (publishers’ note on this new edition in 3 in-4 volumes, table of chapters), [a leaf, numbered iii, “notice regarding the 8vo, 7-volume edition,” has been inserted before the table of contents), 719 pp.; [2 ff.], viii (table of contents), 662 pp.; [2 ff.], viii (table of contents), 658 pp. Illustrated with a frontispiece portrait of Raynal, engraved by Le Grand after Cochin; 4 vignettes by Marillier , including 1 on the title page; 7 unsigned half-tint engravings and 4 fold-out maps (Asia, South America, Gulf of Mexico, North America). Complete. Included: Atlas of All Known Parts of the Globe, compiled for the Philosophical and Political History of European Settlements and Trade in the Two Indies. [Geneva, Pellet, 1780] - In-4, bound in full calfskin with a smooth spine, red title label and green atlas label—top and bottom caps trimmed—[2 ff., title page, table of contents], 28 pp. (brief analysis of this atlas). Illustrated with 50 fold-out maps (including 1 bis) and 22 fold-out tables. Published clandestinely as early as 1770, then condemned by the Parliament of Paris, the work enjoyed considerable success. In addition to a history of the exploration and colonization of the Americas, it contains a scathing denunciation of slavery and the exploitation of the colonies