New Voyages To North-America. Containing An Account of the several Nations of that vast Continent...A Geographical Description of Canada, and a Natural History of the Country

London: Printed for H.Bonwicke, T.Goodwin, M.Wotton, B.Tooke, and S.Manship, 1703. First Edition of the English Translation. Lahontan was only sixteen years of age when he first arrived in New France in 1683, as an officer in the colonial regular troops. During the next ten years he saw active service in the sieur de La Barre’s expedition against the Iroquois in 1684, in the Marquis de Denonville’s campaign against the Senecas in 1687, and in numerous skirmishes with the English. In 1693 he was appointed King’s lieutenant in Plaisance (Placentia), Newfoundland. His career, however, came to an abrupt end when he was accused of insubordination by the governor of Newfoundland, Jacques François de Brouillan. Lahontan fled to Portugal and spent the rest of his life in wandering exile, chiefly in Holland and Germany. The daily journals Lahontan faithfully kept during his stay in New France for the basis of this work, which gained such immense popularity that it went through no less than 25 legitimate and pirated editions within sixty years of its first publication (The Hague: 1703). Next to Louis Hennepin’s, his was the most widely read North American travel narrative of the eighteenth century. Despite the exposure, by Charlevois and his cartographer Bellin, of the fictitious nature of Lahontan’s voyage up the ‘Long River’ (the Minnesota), which seriously discredited the work, its overall authenticity is now generally acknowledged. In 1903, the American scholar R.G.Thwaites concluded that “in topography, geography, ethnology, and natural history, all of it the record of personal knowledge, Lahontan’s work stands as one of the important sources for the intimate study of New France.” The vivid and lively descriptions of New France, its social and political life, the manners and customs of the native inhabitants and their method of warfare, are further enhanced by Lahontain’s philosophical views. His notions about Christian dogmatism and the vices of European society which he contrasts with the virtues of the ‘noble savage’, presaged the work of Swift, Rousseau, and Voltaire. The first English edition was published in London under the patronage of the Duke of Devonshire and it is in many respects preferable to the first edition (The Hague: 1703). Lahontan was in London to supervise the printing and he himself corrected the engravings, which the “Dutch Gravers had murder’d...by not understanding their Explications, which were all in French.” (Preface) A map of Newfoundland here appears for the first time and the edition incorporates, in expanded form, the contents of the supplement, detailing the author’s travels in Europe and the controversial dialogue with the mythical Indian ‘Adario’ (identified by some historians as the Huron chief Kondiaronk). TPL 6357. Bell L46. Cox II p. 88. Clark I 111. Graff 2364. Howes L-25. JCB I 39. Lande 496. Pilling, Algonquian, p. 290. Sabin 38644. Field 852. Streeter I 107. Paltsits pp. lx-lxiii. DCB II pp. 439-445. Story p. 423. 2 Volumes. 8vo. pp. 2 p.l., [20], 280; 1 p.l., 302, [2]leaf of ads, [13]index. 4 engraved maps (2 large & folding) & 20 engraved plates (1 folding). complete with the rare frontis. in Vol. II which is usually wanting. modern red straight-grained morocco by Cecil & Larkins, a.e.g. (joints & extremities rubbed, some light foxing)