This fascinating French geography book was first published in 1715 by Giffard, and was republished multiple times until 1805. It contains 18 folding maps: World, Europe, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, German Empire, Rhine, Italy, Spain, England, Scandinavia, Poland, Turkish Empire, Greece, Asia, Middle East, Africa and the Americas. Both the world map and the Americas map show the island of California. The book is written in a unique "question and answer" format. At the end of the book is the essay Nouveau Traite de la Sphere, Expose en Differentes Methodes… which begins by explaining how the Universe is believed to be a sphere. 16mo. Mottled calf, spine gilt with raised bands and tooling, with title-label lettered in gold, red painted edges, marbled endpapers. 498 pp., table of contents, index.

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Condition: B+

The maps range from very good to fine, with the exception of the Africa map which has a 1.25" tear entering map image at right and the Low Countries map has a binder's trim into the lower portion of the map. The spine and covers are rubbed along edges, and there is a small amount of foxing on the first few pages. This is a very nice example despite these few minor imperfections.