This is Dezauche's reissue of Joseph Nicolas Delisle and Philippe Buache's rare 1750 map of Alaska and the North Pacific. Drawn on a spherical projection, the map is after the map Delisle drew in 1737 while he was in St. Petersburg. It depicts the discoveries of the Russians in 1723, 1732 and 1741, the tracks of Bering's first and second voyages, Joseph Nicolas Delisle's voyage with Capt. Tchirikow in 1741, the track of De Frondat's voyage of 1709, and the route of the Galleons in 1743. But more importantly, it features the imaginary cartographic theories of Philippe Buache for the first time on a printed map. The west coast of North America is entirely fictitious north of Cap Blanc with an enormous Sea of the West, Lac Valasco, and Isle of Bernarda. A network of rivers and lakes making up most of a Northwest Passage is derived from the apocryphal voyages of the Spanish admiral Bartholome de Fonte. Title in rococo cartouche flanked by a native of Kamchatka in upper left corner, a native of Louisiana in upper right corner. A historically important map that was reportedly presented to the Academie des Sciences in 1750 when Delisle read his memoir. A very nice example of DeZauche's edition, published circa 1780.

References: Falk #1752-7; Hayes #41; Tooley (Am) p.34, #101; Schwartz & Ehrenberg plt. #94; Wagner (NW) #566.

Condition: A

Beautiful, early impression on a fine sheet of hand laid paper with wide margins.