World.- Purchas (Samuel) Purchas his Pilgrimes. In Five Books..., 5 vol. including vol.5: Purchas His Pilgrimage, first edition of vol.1-4, vol.5 fourth edition, second issue with dedication to King Charles, Narcissus Luttrell's copy with his ink monogram stamp to titles and date "1697" in his hand below, lacking additional engraved title (as often), with 7 folding and/or double-page engraved maps of the Mogul Empire, China (duplicated in vol.5), Greenland (Spitsbergen), North America, New England and Virginia, 81 half-page engraved maps after Hondius (58 in vol.1-4 and 23 in vol.5, the latter duplications of maps in vol.1-4), woodcut initials, head- and tail-pieces and a few other engraved or woodcut illustrations including Aztec pictograms from the Codex Mendoza in vol.3, vol.1 with Hondius's 'Map of the Christian World' appearing twice at pp. 65 and 115 i.e. lacking 'Map of the Whole World', and with G3-4 uncancelled as usual, also 4M4-5 uncancelled and first state of 4M2 with headline "Hollanders lying devices, to disgrace the English", map of Virginia trimmed at foot just within border, duplicate map of China with margins repaired and restored, vol. 1 3L4, 3Y5, vol. 4 5M5 and vol. 5 A5 with paper flaw or small hole with loss to a few letters of text, vol. 1 4N3-4 with some soiling, creasing and repair to text, vol. 5 last f. laid down, vol. 3 with some worming to head of fore-margin, very occasional small rust-holes to text, the odd paper-flaw to margin, occasional repairs or restorations to margins, a few just touching text, occasional scattered foxing, some light offsetting, but a very good, clean copy generally, a few small ink corrections, seemingly in Luttrell's hand, bookplates to endpapers and pastedowns, bookseller's receipt from 1964 loosely inserted, 18th century speckled calf, rebacked, spines gilt in compartments with morocco labels, some light cracking to head or foot of joints, some bumping to corners, [Hill 1402-3; Sabin 66682 & 66686; STC 20508-9], folio, by William Stansby for Henrie Fetherstone, 1625-26.

⁂ An excellent set of this important collection of voyages, a continuation of Hakluyt's Principal Navigations, with fine impressions of the maps and a distinguished provenance. Likely to have been one of the most cherished books in Luttrell's library.

The map of the Mogul Empire by William Baffin is the earliest English map of the Mogul territories; the map of China is based on a Chinese original and one of the earliest such to be published in Europe; the map of Greenland (actually Spitsbergen) incorporates scenes of whaling and bear-hunting; the map of North America, by Elstracke after Henry Biggs, is the first to show California as an island; the map of New England was first published in 1624; the map of Virginia by William Hole after Capt. John Smith is one of the most important early maps of America and includes a large Indian figure and a vignette depicting the interior of Powhatan's hut.

Provenance: Narcissus Luttrell (1657-1732), parliamentary historian and diarist, bibliographer of works concerning the Popish plot, and compiler of a large library (ink stamps); Chapman-Purchas; C. H. Wilkinson (bookplates).