Sir Francis Drake | Le voyage de l’illustre seigneur et chevalier Francois Drach admiral d’angleterre, alentour du monde. Paris, 1613

Sir Francis Drake—[Francis Pretty].

Le voyage de l’illustre seigneur et chevalier Francois Drach admiral d’angleterre, alentour du monde. Paris: Jean Gesselin, 1613

8vo (165 x 95mm.), titlepage vignette, bound to style in full burgundy morocco gilt, without the world map, as is almost always the case, small marginal paper repairs not affecting text

The first French edition of Drake’s circumnavigation, translated from the account inserted in the 1589 edition of Hakluyt’s Principal Navigations. The text is traditionally attributed to Francis Pretty, though it is more likely that the information was compiled by Richard Hakluyt himself from three or more sources (see Wagner, Drake’s Voyage). Wagner notes that the additional information found in this French edition but not in Hakluyt is “small but significant” and calls this “the most complete translation of all”.

Drake’s circumnavigation was one of the most important achievements in maritime history, and this account must have been eagerly read by the French, who would not undertake their own circumnavigation until Bougainville’s voyage in 1766. Scarce, this title was lacking from H. P. Kraus’s famous Drake collection.

Only one copy of this work has appeared at auction with Nicolas van Sype’s map of the California Coast inserted, though the bibliography in D.B. Quinn’s Sir Francis Drake as Seen by his Contemporaries asserts that no map was issued with this 1613 French edition.

PROVENANCE:

with Librairie Thomas-Scheler (1998), $15,000; purchased by Bruce McKinney, bookplate, his sale ("The De Orbe Novo Collection"), Bloomsbury Auctions New York, 3 December 2009, lot 70, $7,200

LITERATURE:

D.B. Quinn, European Americana 613/139; Sir Francis Drake as seen by his Contemporaries, p.60; Wagner, Spanish Southwest 9b; Wagner, Sir Francis Drake’s Voyage Around the World, pp.238-240; Sabin 20844; Leclerc 2743; Palau 76150; Streeter sale 1:38 (the 1641 edition)