| Record ID | cp010823 |
| Voet reference number | 2311 |
| Museum Plantin-Moretus | c:lvd:3217921 |
| Author | André THEVET |
| Title page transcription | LES ‖ SINGVLARI- ‖ TEZ DE LA FRANCE AN- ‖ TARCTIQVE, AVTREMENT NOM- ‖ mée Amerique, & de plusieurs Ter- ‖ res & Isles decouuertes de no- ‖ stre temps: ‖ [Fleuron] ‖ PAR F. ANDRE THEVET, NA- ‖ TIF D'ANGOVLESME. ‖ ⊕ 6 ‖ A ANVERS, ‖ De l'imprimerie de Christophle Plantin ‖ a la Licorne d'or. ‖ 1558. ‖ AVEC PRIVILEGE DV ROY. |
| Collation | 8⁰ [124]: A-Y⁸; folios [1r-8v], 1-163r, [163v-168v] (Errors: 19 for 16; 56-59-58-57-60 for 56-57-58-59-60; 64-67-66-69-68-71-70-73-72-73 for 64-65-66-67-68-69-70-71-72-73; 96-99-98-97-100 for 96-97-98-99-100; 117-110-119-118-121 for 117-118-119-120-121) |
| Fingerprint | 155808 - # b1 A2 ceu : # b2 Y5 tur |
| Number of sheets | 21.50 |
| Pages | [1r]: Title [1v]: Privilege (Brussels, 20 April 1558, signed by Ph. de Lens) [2r-v]: A…monseigneur le reverendissime cardinal de Sens, garde des seaux de France, F. André Thevet… [3r-6r]: Poems in honour of A. Thevet by Estienne Iodelle, seigneur du Limodin; François de Belleforest Comingeois; Io. Auratus, literarum Graecarum regius professor (poem in Latin) (italic type) [6v-8r]: Preface aux lecteurs [8v]: Advertissement au lecteur par M. de la Porte 1r-163r: Text (italic type, parts and marginals in roman type) [163v-164v]: Table [165r-168v]: Blank |
| Edition information | |
| Illustrations | Woodcuts: 1⁰) 21 illustrations, 48 × 65, illustrating life in Africa, Brazil, and Canada, on folios 6r, 20r, 27r, 30v, 40v, 45v, 56r, 70r, 72r, 75r, 75v, 81r, 81v, 83v, 86v, 97r, 121v, 123v, 148r, 153r, 160v 2⁰) 8 illustrations, c. 65 × c. 50, illustrating life in Africa and America, on folios 18r, 60v, 67r, 73r, 96r, 102v, 114v, 117v 3⁰) 3 illustrations, c. 50 × c. 65, showing birds, on folios 44v, 89r, 113r 4⁰) 3 illustrations, c. 50 × c. 65, showing fishes, on folios 47v, 49v, 130r 5⁰) 3 illustrations, c. 50 × c. 65, showing mammals, on folios 99v, 106v, 144v 6⁰) 3 illustrations, c. 65 × c. 50, showing plants, on folios 52r, 87v, 111v. Some of the illustrations with the monogram of the woodcutter Arnold Nicolai (on folios 102v, 106v, 113r, 130r, 144v) |
| Copies | Museum Plantin-Moretus- R 22.48KBR Royal Library of BelgiumGhent University LibraryKB National Library of the NetherlandsUL LiègeBibliothèques de l'UMONSBritish Library LondonHispanic Society, New YorkBibliothèque nationale de FranceMazarine, ParisBibliothèque de l’ArsenalJohn Carter Brown Library, Providence- R. I, USA |
| Bibliographical references | Ruelens-de Backer, page 8 (1558, no. 8) G. Atkinson, La littérature géographique française de la Renaissance, I, 1927, page 108, no. 121, and II (Supplément, 1936), page 26 B. de Troeyer, pages 567-568, no. 929Cockx-Indestege, E. Belgica typographica 6846 |
| Online bibliographical references | STCV c:stcv:12917711USTC 1149 |
| Note 1 | Narrative of the journey of Thevet to 'France antarctique' (= Brazil; especially the region of Rio de Janeiro). As Thevet tells in the narrative itself, having gained a certain reputation after his voyage to the Levant, he was asked by de Villegagnon, leader of the royal expedition to 'France antarctique', to accompany him on the journey. They left Le Havre on 6 May 1555 and landed on 2 November 1555 in the northern part of Brazil, to continue from there to the region of Rio de Janeiro. On 31 January 1556 Thevet returned to France on one of the ships. A large part of Les singularitez is devoted to Brazil, but as many details are given on geography, inhabitants, fauna and flora of parts of the western world the expedition never even saw from afar: on Africa, the islands in the Atlantic Ocean, Peru, Florida (= Southeast of Northern America), Canada, etc. |
| Note 2 | In the 'Advertissement au lecteur par M. de la Porte' it is stated that, owing to the sickness of the author, the redaction of the text had been supervised by Ambroise de la Porte (who died in the meantime) and by M. de la Porte himself: 'D'avantage s'il y a quelques dictions Francoises qui te semblent rudes ou mal accommodées, tu en accuseras la fiebvre, et la mort: la fiebvre, laquelle a tellement detenu l'Autheur de puis son retour, qu'il n'a pas eu loysir de revoir son livre avant que le bailler à l'Imprimeur, estant pressé de ce faire par le commandement de monseigneur le Cardinal de Sens. La mort qui a prevenu Ambroise de la Porte, homme studieux, et bien entendu en la langue Françoise, lequel avoit pris l'entiere charge du present livre'. |
| Note 3 | Reprint of the Parisian edition, Chez les héritiers de Maurice de la Porte, au Clos Bruneau, à l'enseigne S. Claude: most editions have on the title-page the year 1558, but some show 1557, while the privilege is dated 18 December 1556 (cf. Atkinson, I, no. 116). |
| Note 4 | The illustrations are also copied from the Parisian edition. It may be assumed that they were all cut by Arnold Nicolai, whose monogram figures on some of the blocks. Cf. also Arch. 38, folio 97r (about March 1558: 'Receu [d'Arnout Nicolai] 10 figures de la france antartique'). |
| Note 5 | The sales of a number of copies are noted in the Plantinian archives: Arch. 38, folios 44v (to Henric van Arlem [?]: '11 May [1558] 1 America de Thevet jusques N et le reste le 28 Juillet: 3½ stuivers'; 28 Juillet 1558: 2 'Histoire d'Amerique franc[ois]': 7 stuivers) and 55v (to J. Steelsius, 27 July 1558: 4 'Amerique…francoys', worth 14 stuivers); Arch. 35, folio 59r (12 December 1558: A mestre Pierre Gordet medesin 1 Amerique francoices); Arch. 34, pages 28 (to Lucas [Brayer], Paris, on 12 February 1559: 24 'Amerique') and 37 (at an unspecified date: 'Pour envoyer' [to Paris or Frankfurt] 500 'Les singularitez de la France Antarctique, 1 1/3 stuivers': 50 florins Carolus guilders 15 stuivers). |
| Note 6 | Plantin must have had the idea to issue a Latin translation of the publication, as he noted on 8 October 1561: 'Baillé à Jo. Caulerius La france antarctique à traduire…' (Arch. 36, folio 14r). This translation does not seem to have materialized. |
| Note 7 | Listed in M 296, folio 1v (Amerique ou france Antarctique, in 8⁰, a⁰ [15]58, f[euilles] 21¾, [price:] stuivers 3½), and M 164, folio 2v (where erroneously is noted a⁰ [15]68). |
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