CHASTELLUX, François Jean, Marquis de (1734-1788). Voyage de Mr. Le Chevalier de Chastellux en Amérique. [No place: no printer,] 1785.

A very rare unauthorized printing, predating the official complete first edition, of Chastellux's famous Revolutionary travelogue. This edition seems to be unrecorded. It is easily mistaken for what Sabin describes as another unauthorized edition in octavo, which he locates at Cassell; some catalogues locate this other edition at Paris. It contains a reprint of the 1781 first edition of volume one, printed on board a French ship in only a couple dozen copies. See Sabin 12226 and 12227 for different unauthorized editions.

12mo (150 x 96mm). pp. 191; signed in 8s and 4s (occasional dustsoiling to edges, nearly repaired tear in text of last 4 leaves). 19th-century half calf and marbled boards, untrimmed (front board detached). Provenance: James Douglas, 1837-1918, Canadian mining engineer (bookplate).