MARTINI (Martino). Sinicae Historiae decas prima, res à gent - Lot 115

MARTINI (Martino). Sinicae Historiae decas prima, res à gentis origine ad Christum natum in extrema Asia, sive Magno Sinarum Imperio gestas complexa. Amstelaedami, Johannem Blaeu, 1659. Small in-8, 413-[15] p., pastiche binding, marbled fawn half-basin, spine with 4 nerves, green title page, double fillet and gilt roulette and small irons, edges speckled with red (trace of label on spine, title faded, light spotting). Second edition following the original published in Munich the previous year in in-4° format. One of the best histories of the Far East and the Great Empire of China, written by the Italian Jesuit missionary, sinologist and geographer Martino Martini (1614-1661), who sailed for China in 1638. Illustrated with 3 woodcuts in the text, including one with Chinese letters and ideograms. Provenance: Jésuites de St-Germain, Paris; maison jésuite de Roz-Avel-Quimper (modern stamps on one endpaper). (Cordier, Bibl. sinica 580).