CURIOUS OBSERVATIONS, de LAMBERT, Claude-François, 1705-1765.: - 1760

London, R. Withy, 1760.. upon the manners, customs, usages, different languages, government, mythology, chronology, geography, ceremonies, religion, mechanics, astronomy, medicine, physics, natural history, commerce, arts, and sciences, of the several nations of Asia, Africa, and America, plus much on China. Two volumes, complete set, translated from the French, FOURTH EDITION, 2 Volumes complete,1760. 8vo, approximately 205 x 125 mm, 8 x 5 inches, pages: Volume 1, [1], iv, [1]-411; Volume 2, [2], [1]-404 plus 16 pages of Contents, full contemporary calf, gilt ruled border to covers, rebacked to style, gilt rules and volume numbers, gilt lettered morocco labels. Covers scuffed and worn, with loss to leather surface, scorners worn with board showing at tips, shelf wear to edges, pale browning to edges of title pages, heavy browning at edges pastedowns and endpapers, very occasional light foxing, contents otherwise clean, 1 very short closed edge tear. A very good copy. 84 brief chapters describe a great variety of topics with much about China, India, and North and South America. Including a chapter on the 'island' of California; on the languages of various native tribes of America; on Egypt; 1 on Ethiopia; on porcelain making in China; the Tibetans etc. The work was first published in Paris in 1749 and the first English translation by John Dunn was issued in 1750. See: Sabin, Dictionary of Books Relating to America, 38729 (first edition) and 38730: "A somewhat scarce and very interesting privately printed book, relating to the aboriginal inhabitants of America". Catalogue of Printed Books in the Wellcome Medical Library, Volume 3, page 437, listing a 1750 edition: ESTC T211087 only 2 locations for this edition. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE, FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.