Le Flambeau de la Navigation,

Rare complete French edition of Janssonius's 1620 navigational atlas. Janssonius printed, after the 1620 Dutch and French editions, five Dutch, two English, and three French editions, of the 'Flambeau de la Navigation' after Willem Janszoon Blaeu until 1637. His navigation manual is considered on of the great books of Dutch cartography and one of the widest used pilot books for the European coasts.

The work covers Holland, Zeeland, Flanders, France, Portugal, Spain, the western North African coast, the Canary Islands, Madeira, the Azores, south coasts of Ireland and England, Friesland, the German North Sea, Jutland, Holstein, Mecklenburg, Pomerania, Prussia, the Baltic, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, northern Russia, the Faroe Islands, Shetland, the Hebrides, and the east coast of Scotland and England.

'Blaeu, using his patronym Janszoon, published his first book of sea-charts in 1608 (not in the BL) under the title 'Het Licht der Zee-vaert'. This work proved in demand as it updated the pioneering chart atlases of Lucas Waghenaer dating from the 1580s... None of the maps is signed by the engraver, but Destombes has conjectured that he might have been Joshua van den Ende. One of the two sea-men shown on the title-page is thought to represent Blaeu himself.' (Shirley). Blaeu claimed no originality for 'The Light of Navigation', but he did claim that its original source - Waghanaer's 'Mariner's Mirrour' - was 'corrected from manie faults, and inlarged with manie new Descriptions and Cardes... beside... new tables of the Declination of the Sonne, according to Tycho Brahes Observations, applied to the Meridian of Amsterdam'.

'In 1620 Blaeu's competitor Johannes Janssonius ventured to publish Blaeu's work, with plates, precisely copied by Petrus Kaerius. The text was copied as well. Willem Blaeu's 'Het Licht der Zee-vaert' was privileged in 1606 for seven years. Besides this Blaeu had been granted a privilege for ten years in 1608, for all his works published or to be published. As the first edition of 'Het Licht der Zeevaert' was dated 1608, the privilege for this book was valid until 1618, so it is quite possible that Blaeu could not do anything to Janssonius.' (Koeman)

First French edition; 3 parts in 1, landscape folio (26.5 by 28 mm); decorative engraved title incorporating two figures of sailors surmounting a panoramic view of Amsterdam, with printed overslip, engraved pictorial frontispiece with a scene of ships, and in the foreground a busy school of navigators, numerous text engravings, including volvelles, divisional titles and index tables at front and back respectively to first and second book, and 42 folding charts engraved by Petrus Kaerius after W.J. Blaeu, with accompanying text, coastal profiles and diagrams, one small marginal tear to O3 with old repair, discreet marginal repair to map 28, faint marginal staining to a few gatherings, contemporary ownership inscription to title, discreet bookplates to pastedowns; contemporary full mottled calf, spine in six gilt compartments with gilt morocco lettering piece, a little worn, joints cracked, a very good copy; [2, Sonnet], [52, introduction), [1]-119, [1]-127, [1] pp.

Phillips, Atlases 2829; Koeman IV M.Bl 23J.