Histoire philosophique – Guillaume Thomas Raynal – 1774 | First edition, 7v Set w/ Maps

A rare French 1774 first edition of Thomas Guillaume Raynal’s Histoire Philosophique et Politique! Raynal, an 18th-century Jesuit priest and editor, worked ten years on this encyclopedia on trade between Europe and the Far East most notably China and India. This work became an influential work in the revolutionary climate.

However, with his attacks on immigration, colonization, and even slavery, this work became widely criticized throughout Europe, especially. In fact, numerous editions of this work were banned in France! It is curious that such a work would appear in Thomas Jefferson’s library, especially considering the state of American independence at the time of publication. Sowerby states,

“In this [Raynal’s] most important work, he had the assistance of Diderot [and others]. It originally appeared anonymously in Amsterdam, 1770, and was frequently reprinted, revised, abridged, and translated. In France its publication was prohibited, and it was burned by the public executioner.”

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Histoire philosophique et politique des établissemens et du commerce des Européens dans les deux indes
• Author(s): Guillaume Thomas Raynal
• Illustrator(s):
• Contributor(s): Denis Diderot
• Publisher: A la Haye; [Chez Gosse, fils]
• Edition: First edition, 1774
• Format: (8vo), single volume
• Binding: Full leather, gilt spine
• Size:  8 in x 5.25 in (20.5 cm x 13.5 cm)
• Collation: each volume separately paged
• Illustrations: 7 frontispiece & 7 folding maps
• Contents Include:
  • European trade with Asia and the Indies
  • Philosophical discussions of colonization
  • Critiques of slavery and empire
  • Political and economic commentary
• Provenance: provenance
• Reference(s): Sabin 68081; Sowerby 466; Larned 3919
  • Larned: “a book which should influence the course of contemporary history!”
  • Sabin: “The book was condemned by the French Parliament and church dignitaries, and Raynal was obliged to leave France.”

Condition:

Bound in full leather with raised bands, this copy is tight and secure. Some loss of leather is visible on the boards and corners, but the structure remains sound. Good.

Why Collect This?

• Rare 1774 French edition banned in France
• Documented in Thomas Jefferson’s library
• A key Enlightenment work on trade, colonization, and slavery
• Includes folding maps, often lacking

Item Number: #29391