Journal Historique du Dernier Voyage que feu M. de la Sale fit dans le Golfe de Mexique, pour Trouver l'Embouchure & le Cours de la Riviere de Missicipi, Nommee a Present la Riviere de Saint Louis, qui Traverse la Louisiane
by Henri Joutel (c1643-1725)
- Used
- fair
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Fair
- Seller
-
Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
xxxiv+386 pages, lacking the prescribed folding map but anomalously bound with "Carte de la Louisiane" from Antoine Le Page du Pratz Histoire, 1758, bound in at page 138. Duodecimo (6 1/2 " x 4") bound in original publisher's full contemporary speckled calf with five raised spine bands and red label in gilt lettering and decorative inserts. (Church 855. Graff 2251. Harrisse 750. Howes J266. Phillips, Maps of America, p. 367. Wagner, Spanish Southwest, 79) First edition.
Henri Joutel the preeminent eyewitness historian of the La Salle expedition. Henri Joutel was a native of Rouen, France, which also was the hometown of René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. At the time the expedition was being organized, his amanuensis tells us, Joutel had just returned from "sixteen or seventeen years" in the army. Influenced by La Salle's reputation as an explorer and his own acquaintance with other members of the expedition, he decided to join.
The last phase of La Salle's extraordinary career centered on his proposal to fortify the mouth of the Mississippi and to invade and conquer part of the Spanish province of Mexico. He planned to accomplish all this with some 200 Frenchmen, aided by buccaneers and an army of 15,000 Indians—a venture that caused his detractors to question his sanity. But the king saw a chance to harass the Spaniards, with whom he was at war, and approved the project, giving La Salle men, ships, and money.
The expedition was doomed from the start. It had hardly left France when quarrels arose between La Salle and the naval commander. Vessels were lost by piracy and shipwreck, while sickness took a heavy toll of the colonists. Finally, a gross miscalculation brought the ships to Matagorda Bay in Texas, 500 miles west of their intended landfall. After several fruitless journeys in search of his lost Mississippi, La Salle met his death at the hands of mutineers near the Brazos River. His vision of a French empire died with him.
Two basic versions of Joutel's journal are extant: the 1715 printed version and English translations thereof and the one published in the original French by Pierre Margry. The latter doubtless more accurately reflects what Joutel actually wrote; the former both adds to it and subtracts from it.
Condition:
Calf worn and partially split; moderate browning, "Feuillans de Paris" stamp and 19th-century ink ownership inscription to title-page, front inner hinge cracked but holding else a fair copy.
Extended Description and Notes
The preeminent eyewitness historian of the La Salle expedition, Henri Joutel was a native of Rouen, France, which also was the hometown of René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. At the time the expedition was being organized, his amanuensis tells us, Joutel had just returned from "sixteen or seventeen years" in the army. Influenced by La Salle's reputation as an explorer and his own acquaintance with other members of the expedition, he decided to join.
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- The Book Collector ABAA, ILAB, TBA (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- E0821
- Title
- Journal Historique du Dernier Voyage que feu M. de la Sale fit dans le Golfe de Mexique, pour Trouver l'Embouchure & le Cours de la Riviere de Missicipi, Nommee a Present la Riviere de Saint Louis, qui Traverse la Louisiane
- Author
- Henri Joutel (c1643-1725)
- Book Condition
- Used - Fair
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Chez Estienne Robinot
- Place of Publication
- Paris
- Date Published
- 1713
- Pages
- xxxiv+386 pages, lacking the prescribed folding map but anomalously bound with "Carte de la Louisiane" from Antoine Le Page du P
- Size
- Duodecimo
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Keywords
- AMERICANA
- Bookseller catalogs
- Exploration;
Terms of Sale
The Book Collector ABAA, ILAB, TBA
About the Seller
The Book Collector ABAA, ILAB, TBA
About The Book Collector ABAA, ILAB, TBA
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Hinge
- The portion of the book closest to the spine that allows the book to be opened and closed.
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Fair
- is a worn book that has complete text pages (including those with maps or plates) but may lack endpapers, half-title, etc....
- Cracked
- In reference to a hinge or a book's binding, means that the glue which holds the opposing leaves has allowed them to separate,...
- Calf
- Calf or calf hide is a common form of leather binding. Calf binding is naturally a light brown but there are ways to treat the...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
Frequently asked questions
This Book’s Categories
Also Recommended
-
Save 10% on every purchase!
Join the Bibliophiles’ Club and start saving 10% on every book.
$29.95 / Year