Indies - Lot 678

Indies RAYNAL (Guillaume Thomas François), abbé Histoire Philosophique et Politique des Établissements et du Commerce des Européens dans les deux Indes. Genève, les libraires associés, 1775. 3 volumes in-4; engraved portrait of Cochin by Le Grand, 4 folding maps (3 in volume II, the last in volume III showing the Gulf of Mexico, South America, North America, the Indian Ocean and the South Sea with the Philippines and New Holland), and 7 plates out of text. Light staining at head margin with damage to top of portrait, small wormholes at foot margin, but still a very good copy. With a second portrait of Raynal on a free endpaper. Contemporary marbled fawn calf, spine with browned ornamented nerves, rubbing on covers, accidents to headpieces, weak jaws and 2 split jaws, triple gilt fillet framing covers, dull corners, double gilt fillet on edges, marbled edges (text). Considered the encyclopedia of 18th-century anticolonialism. It is one of the "philosophical voyages" fashionable at the time, a pretext for reflections on "natural law" and denunciations of despotism, clericalism, black slavery and colonialism. Enlarged second edition and first printing in in-4 format. Provenance: Printed bookplate J. Pöhles, with the motto: "Do as I do".