One of the most important and complete records of the Mexican period in California. 'This voyage, ostensibly to report on the whale fisheries in the Pacific, was actually primarily political in nature... After rounding the Horn, the expedition made calls up the coast of South America, to Hawaii, Kamchatka, and to California, in order to assist French traders who had been clamouring for support for some time. In 1838, the Vénus made a run for Easter Island, further investigated the coast of South America, then sailed for the Galapagos and Marquesas Islands, Tahiti, and New Zealand... After visits to Sydney and Mauritius, the ship sailed home, arriving after a voyage of thirty months' (Hill).

Bancroft, who never saw a copy of the Atlas, characterises the work as the most important of all books relating to the history of California during the Mexican period, 1824-1846, and states that 'from no other single work could be obtained so complete and accurate an account of the country, its people, and its institutions.' He states that Dupetit-Thouars was the first of visitors to collect original documents – here published with translations and yet 'for the most part unknown to other writers' (California IV, pp147-149). The magnificent plates are a credit to a country where those printing arts had already been brought to a high level. The Atlas pittoresque contains some of the finest lithographs of the nineteenth century, with views and scenes of San Francisco Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Honolulu, Mazatlan, San Blas, Sydney, Lima, and other ports. The plates showing various natives are all hand-coloured.

Complete set, save for the excessively rare botany text published ten years later. 14 volumes (10 volumes 8vo text, 4 folio atlases). Modern half-calf over marbled boards to style by Atelier Laurenchet, a fine clean set. The set comprises:

Relation. 1840-43, vols [I]-IV, 4to, with half-titles, 13 printed tables (some folding).

Atlas pittoresque. 1841, folio (53 x 34 cms), half-title, 3pp. Table des planches, engraved folding world map with route of the voyage, engraved plan of Sydney and 67 lithographed plates, 17 hand-coloured, some on India paper, including fine panoramic views.

Physique. 1842-44, vols VI-X, together 5 vols, 8vo, half-titles, all with additional sectional half-titles and titles, vol. IX with 2 printed folding tables, 2 folding engraved graphs and a folding engraved map showing currents and temperatures, errata leaf at end of each vol. except the last, additional supplementary errata at beginning of vol. IX.

Atlas hydrographique. Paris, Depot de la Marine, 1845, folio (68 x 49.5 cms), [2]pp., 16 engraved map sheets (4 double-page) showing 19 subjects.

Atlas de botanique. 1846, folio, half-title, one page Table des planches, 28 engraved plates, without the text volume as usual (not published until 1864 and rarely found).

Zoologie. 1855, 8vo text and folio Atlas, half-title, title, 2pp. list of plates, 78 engraved plates (74 hand-coloured), the 10 plate bird section browned and with some offsetting else a clean fresh set of plates.

Ferguson 2970; Hill 518; Hocken pp93-94; Borba de Moraes pp276-77; Sabin 21354.