ATLAS - NEPTUNE FRANÇOIS (Le) ou recueil des cartes marines levées et gravées par ordre du Roi. First volume containing the coasts of Europe on the ocean from Dronthem in Norway to the Straits of Gibraltar, with the Baltic Sea. Without place, name or date Paris, Imprimerie royale 1693 ? the privilege given at Versailles on 27 December 1691. Paris,au dépot 1753 ? Amsterdam, Mortier, 1693 ? Large in folio (62 x 49 cm), grey swedish basane (period binding). The most famous official French coastal atlas of the 18th century. On the initiative of the minister Colbert, the most brilliant mathematicians, astronomers, cartographers, geographers and hydrographers from the Académie des Sciences et de la Marine collaborated on the Neptune François. A second volume was announced for the Mediterranean, but was never published. It contains 27 double-page copper-engraved nautical charts (out of 29 announced); they are preceded by a handsome copper-engraved frontispiece by I. Berrin engraved by P. Le Pautre, a printed title page, an engraved calculation page "to find the days of the week" and 6 pages of printed text. The table of maps lists 29 maps; this copy has 27, as detailed below. - A title frontispiece and a plate of scales and measurements. 1. General map of the coasts of Europe on the Ocean from Dronthem in Norway to the Straits of Gibraltar. 2. Map of the Baltic Sea. 3. Map of the Danmark Sea. 4. Map of the Sond Strait. 5. Map of the German Sea. 6. Map of the entrances to the Suyder-Zée and the Embs. 7. Map of the entrances to the Scheldt and Meuse rivers. 8. Map of the entrance to the Thames. 9. Map of the Scottish Sea. 10. General map of the coast of Ireland. 11. Particular map of the western coasts of Ireland. 12. Map of the English Channel. 13. Particular map of the southern coasts of England. 14. Particular map of the coasts of Flanders, Picardy and Normandy. 15. Particular map of the Normandy coast from Dieppe to the Pointe de la Percée in Bessin. 16. Special map of the Normandy coast containing the Cotentin coast. 17. Particular map of the coast of Brittany from Granville to Cap de Frehel. 18. Particular map of the coast of Brittany from Cap de Frehel to Perros and Isle Tomé. 19. Particular map of the coast of Brittany which includes Morlaix Saint Paul de Leon les sept Isles et l'Isle de Bas. 20. Particular map of the Costes de Bretagne from the Anse de Goulven to the Isle d'Ouessant. 21. Particular map of the Costes de Bretagne containing the surroundings of the roadstead of Brest. 22. Carte particulière des costes de Bretagne depuis la Baye d'Hodierne jusqu'à l'Isle de Groa, contenant les Isles de Glenan. 23. Particular map of the coast of Brittany from the Isle of Groa to Le Croisic. 24. Special map of the coast of Brittany including the entrance to the Loire and the Isle of Noirmoutier. 25. Map of the Costes of Poitou, Aunis and Saintonge. 26. Carte particulière des costes de Guienne, de Gascogne en France et de Guipuscoa en Espagne Carte des costes septentrionales d'Espagne. 27. Map of the coasts of Portugal and parts of Spain. Binding worn, leather missing, headpieces and corners dulled... Marginal wormholes on first few leaves. Some frayed edges. Scattered spotting (Polak n°602, gives only the 1753 edition, different collation).