Paris, François Buisson, 1810-1812. Two parts in one. Folio (34.0 x 25.8 cm). Title pages, 14 pp. [ii; 12]; 75 [24; 51] engraved and hand-coloured maps. 19th-century black quarter calf over black pebbled boards. Spine with four slightly raised, gilt-lined bands; compartments with triple-gilt borders and title. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt.

The rare, complete atlases - both in first edition - of a work that also consists of five text volumes (here not present), all written by the French geographer of Danish descent, Conrad Malte-Brun [Malthe Conrad Bruun in Danish] (1775-1826), founder of the Annales des Voyages and first secretary of the Société de Géographie. In the first atlas, the name Océanique (Oceania) was used for the first time ever, and described as Cinquième partie du Monde (fifth continent). The fine plates are originally hand-coloured by Madame Biot, as stated in the first Liste des cartes. The second, supplemental atlas was made by the French cartographer Pierre Lapie (1779-1850). Several maps are historical, e.g., Géographie primitive des Grecs, with Voyages des Argonautes et d'Ulysse. Three maps are double-sized mappae mundi, clearly showing which regions of the globe - in particular Antarctica and Central Africa - were still "Terra incognita" in Napoleonic times. Provenance: on the front pastedown a mineralogical bookplate of the French mineralogist and professor at the École des Mines, Claude Jean Guy Guillemin (1923-1994), who was a co-founder of the International Mineralogical Association. Boards slightly rubbed at edges; occasional weak, inobtrusive spotting; otherwise an excellent clean copy. Sabin, 44159. Not in Cat. BM(NH).