Beschreibung:

Travels in North-America, in the Years 1780, 1781, and 1782.
London: G. G. J. and J. Robinson 1787. 2 volumes, 8vo (225 x 140 mm). 2 engraved folding maps, 3 engraved folding plates. Publisher’s boards, printed paper spine labels, uncut. Housed in cloth chemises and slipcase. Condition : very minor foxing to the preliminary and terminal leaves; minor discoloration to the spines, minor wear. Provenance : M. Reinse (signature on titles). first edition in english of “the first trustworthy record of life in the united states” (Howes). Chastellux (1734-1788) served as a Major General under Rochambeau during the American Revolution, and travelled through New England, the Mid-Atlantic and Virginia. After participating at the Fall of Yorktown, he returned to France and published his Travels, which went through numerous authorized and unauthorized editions. Before 1790, ten editions had been published in three different languages. Sending Benjamin Franklin a copy of the first authorized edition in June 1786, Chastellux writes of his impressions: “I could not, therefore, see your country in any but a favorable light; and, if my love of truth occasionally called forth a gentle censure, my best wishes always took the place of my admiration, when the latter was compelled to be silent. Moreover, I have had the good fortune to succeed, precisely where success was most flattering. None of my readers have reached the end of my work, without a deep feeling of love and respect for your fellow citizens, and no one has ever refused me the praise of being animated by the same sentiments” (Works of Benjamin Franklin . very rare in boards. Howes C324; Sabin 12229.