ACOSTA (Joseph d'). - Lot 1

ACOSTA (Joseph d'). Histoire naturelle et moralle des indes, tant Orientalles qu'Occidentalles. In which are treated the remarkable things of the sky, the Elements, Metals, Plants & animals which are proper of this country. Ensemble des moeurs, ceremonies, loix, gouvernemens, & guerres des mesmes indiens. Paris, Marc Orry, 1606. in-8, vellum, double gilt fillet, traces of laces, smooth spine framed with double fillet, title in ink at head, gilt edges (period binding). Leclerc (1867), n°10. - Sabin, n°125. Third edition of the French translation, edited by Robert Regnault. Father Joseph d'Acosta, who was born around 1539 in Medina and died in Salamanca around 1600, entered the Society of Jesus at an early age. After teaching theology in Ocana, he was sent to the West Indies and appointed second provincial in Peru. For ten years, he worked ardently for the conversion of the Indians. In this renowned work, first published in Latin in 1589, then translated into several languages, including Spanish in 1590 and French in 1598, he gives a complete description of the customs, laws, ceremonies, etc., of the indigenous peoples, and provides invaluable information on the flora and fauna of these lands. A fine copy in contemporary vellum. Slight wetness at the corner of about 30 leaves.