[FLEURIAU D’ ARMENONVILLE, Thomas Charles], “Nouveaux mémoires des missions de la Compagnie de Jesus, dans le Levant”, Paris, Nicolas le Clerc, 1715.

FIRST EDITION, THE DEDICATEE’S COPY, ATABEY’S COPY. 12mo, pp.173, [3]. Including a rare folding map of Santorini.

Very rare account on Greece compiled by the Jesuit Fleuriau dArmenonville. The text is consisted in a series of reports on Jesuit missions to the Levant with the current First Edition copy dealing with the reports on Greece, Constantinople and Smyrna. Fleuriau spent long periods of time on the visited places presenting valuable contemporary observations made on spot. The text is divided in the following chapters: Constantinople (pp.3-38), Smyrna (pp.39-50), Thessaloniki & Macedonia – also short reports about Cavala, Thassos - (pp.51-59), Chios (pp.60-89), Naxos (pp.90-114) & Santorini (pp.115-173). The chapter about Santorini is the larger one, containing unique information on the life of the island and is accompanied by a rare map depicting the Santorini coasts with Nea & Palea Kameni (Νέα & Παλαιά Καμένη) islands on the center.

“This copy contains only the report on Greece and includes a rare map of the island of Santorini. Volume one usually contains two reports, the second on the Crimea, with additional gatherings A-E12 F8. In copies in which both parts are present, the section on the Crimea is at the front. This copy must be another state, not simply incomplete, because it is the dedication copy, presented by Fleuriau to Pontchartrain, minister of marine under Louis XIV, to whom he dedicated the work with a long introductory letter. It is possible that Fleuriau had the two parts bound separately for presentation” (Atabey).

Contemporary morocco gilt, all edges gilt, with Gerome Phelypeaux Comte du Pontchartrain gilt arms on covers. Sefik E. Atabey bookplates on both front & back pastedown endpapers. External rubbing, wear on joints & spine head & tail, light only spotting inside.

Atabey 438 (the current copy), Blackmer 610.