BELLEFOREST (François de). La cosmographie universelle de to - Lot 1

BELLEFOREST (François de). La cosmographie universelle de tout le monde. Paris, Sonnius, 1575. 3 volumes in 2 in-folio, full contemporary fawn calf, five-rib spine decorated with double gilt fillets in the center of which are gilt fleurons, red morocco title-piece with double gilt fillets, central gilt floral decoration and double gilt filleting on the boards, red edges, new endpapers (corners dulled, edges of nerves uncovered, the bit on the first board of the second volume is slightly cracked; russ. and minor soiling; 6 plates lacking). Rare original French edition of the Cosmographia Universalis by Sébastien Münster (1489-1552), originally published in Latin in 1550, here translated and revised by the polygrapher and historiographer François de Belleforest (1530-1583). This version has been expanded by Nicolas Chesneau and Michel Sonnius with many previously unpublished sections on France. The work is illustrated with 156 superbly executed woodcuts, including numerous maps, plans and views of French and European cities, printed on double pages or folded. Notable large folding maps include: La carte d'Europe I-1 [2], La ville de Londres I-1 [4], Description générale de toute la France I-1 [8], La ville, cité, université de Paris I-1 [9], Carte générale d'Alemaigne I-2 [22], Ierusalem II [14]. Some views and maps come from Braun and Hogenberg, and are copied from Ortelius and others. Belleforest contributes a number of previously unknown or extremely rare views, such as Goa II [18], Calcutta II [20], Mombasa II [28], Cuzco II [30], Temistitan II-2 [31]... Volume I: [2] blank f., [6] f. (title page, "epitre, préface de l'auteur, louanges, privilège du roy"), [1] f. ("extraict des registres de parlement"), [8] f. ("table des sommaires"), [1] f. ("Catalogue des Régions"), the text is in two columns per page, with mixed numbering either by columns or by pages, 5-6 to 397 pp, 1 to 389-390 pp. (vol. 1), 393-394 to 1837-1838 (vol. 2) + [44] f. "table" + [2] blank f. With 61 (of 62) views and maps, mostly on double pages for the first part, and 67 (of 68) views and maps for the second part. A total of 128. Volume II: [2] blank f., [3] f. (title page, "preface"), [3] f. ("table des sommaires"), [1] f. ("Catalogue des Régions"), the text is in two columns per page, with mixed numbering either by columns or by pages, 1-2 to 2234-2235 p., [88] f. "table", [2] blank f. With 28 (of 33) views and maps, mostly double-page. According to Pastoureau, the following six hors-texte maps and views are missing: I-1 [1] Typus orbis terrarum, II [4] Corfu, II [24] Africae tabula nova, II [29] Cairus quae olim Babylon Aegypti Maxima Urbs, II [32] Isla espanola, II [33] Isola di Cuba. (Pastoureau p. 55)