Sanson, Nicolas d'Abbeville.

Cartes Generales, de toutes les parties du Monde. 2 volumes. With 249 engraved double-page maps hand-coloured in outline.

Paris, Pierre Mariette, 1670. Folio. 18th century half-leather bindings with gold-embossed spine labels.

Pastoureau, Sanson VE 1670 (states 246 maps). - Fifth edition of the "Cartes Générales", first published in 1658, which can be considered the first French world atlas.- The first volume contains 156 maps, the second volume 93 maps, including 5 world maps, continental maps of Europe, Asia, Africa and South America, as well as maps of Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, Chile, Mexico, the Antilles, Persia, China, Japan, India, etc., in addition to numerous European countries and territories and an extensive series of maps of the ancient world. - Numbered by an old hand on verso throughout (1-149 and 1-97), evidently 1 map removed from the first volume and 4 maps from the second volume. 8 additional maps, showing deviating or double numbering, were instead bound into the first volume. - The number of maps varies according to the copy and printed indexes were not produced. According to the usual practice, our copy also includes manuscript indexes, each bound in after the title page. - The preliminaries with marginal blemishes, the first world map with a tear in the lower fold and some text loss, some maps with some transfer of the colouring of the facing half. Slightly browned, occasional slight damp staining. - Provenance: Engraved armorial bookplate "Virtus ariete fortior", probably of the English noble family of Bertie (Earls of Lindsey).