CHASTELLUX, François Jean, Marquis de (1734-1788). Voyages de M. le Marquis de Chastellux dans l'Amérique septentrionale, dans les années 1780, 1781 & 1782. Paris: Prault, 1786.

First complete authorized edition, in original boards, of "the first trustworthy record of life in the United States" (Howes). Volume one, covering Chastellux's voyages in 1780-81, was first issued in 1781, having been printed on board a French squadron ship at Newport, Rhode Island, in an edition of only 24 (or possibly 27) copies. Extracts from volume one and the as yet unpublished volume two appeared in 1784 in Gotha’s Cahiers de lecture with the author’s consent; three unauthorized editions followed in 1785 and 1786. "This journal is one of the most notable of American travel accounts of the Revolutionary period not only because of Chastellux's keen observation and the directness of his narrative but also because of his acute comments on society and the character of the people in different walks of life" (Clark). Clark I:212; Howes C-324; Sabin 12227.

Two volumes, octavo (212 x 132mm). 2 engraved folding maps and 3 folding views and plans of the Natural Bridge in Virginia (old corner repair on vol. I, leaf B4; occasional light spotting, including a few on the plates). Contemporary glazed paper boards, brown morocco titling pieces, edges untrimmed (boards rubbed, headcaps worn). Provenance: Samuel Welles, of the Boston mercantile family (bookplate dated 1808) – unidentified Chinese ownership ink stamp on front flyleaves – Jean R. Perrette (his sale, Christie’s New York, 5 April 2016, lot 386).