HISTOIRE DE LOANGO, KAKONGO, ET AUTRES ROYAUMES D'AFRIQUE; RÉDIGÉE D'APRÈS LES MÉMOIRES DES PRÉFETS APOSTOLIQUES DE LA MISSION FRANÇOISE; ENRICHIE D'UNE CARTE UTILE AUX NAVIGATEURS.
Paris & Lyon: Chez C. P. Berton, N. Crapart / Lyon: Chez Bruyset-Ponthus, 1776. First edition. Small octavo. Contemporary full marbled calf, spine gilt in compartments, red morocco label in gilt, board edges in gilt. Complete with the large, folding, engraved map of the West-Central African coast, which serves as a precise coastal pilot guide, charting the key trading ports of Malemba and Cabinda, as well as the mouth of the Congo (Zaire) River. Boards cracked at spine edge, else a clean and bright copy.
The scarce first edition of Abbé Proyart’s highly regarded ethnographic and geographical account of West-Central Africa. While Proyart did not travel to the continent himself, he expertly compiled and edited this work from the detailed firsthand journals, memoirs, and field reports of French Catholic missionaries (Préfets Apostoliques) who spent a decade (1766 - 1776) attempting to establish a mission in the region. The text provides one of the most comprehensive late 18th-century European descriptions of the coastal kingdoms of Loango, Kakongo, and Ngoyo (modern-day Republic of the Congo, DRC, Gabon, and Cabinda), offering extensive observations on local governance, laws, marriage customs, religious practices, language, and natural history. The work documents local commerce and maritime trade at a time when these coastal kingdoms were deeply enmeshed in the transatlantic slave trade. A cornerstone work for collections focusing on early African exploration, missionary history, or maritime commerce. Near fine. Item #867
SABIN 66400. GAY 2889. CHADENAT 2212.
Price: $1,450.00