CHAPPE D'AUTEROCHE (Abbot). Voyage en Sibérie fait par ordre du Roi en 1761... Paris, Debure, 1768. 2 volumes in 3 large in-4° vol. bound in full leopard-printed fawn calf, gilded and decorated smooth spines, triple gilded fillet framing the covers, double gilded fillet at the edges (Binding of the period). Volume 1 - Vol.1: [2] ff, XXX, [1] f., 347 pp, Vol.2: [2] ff, (347-767 pp. (noted 677)), Vol.2 - Vol.3: XVI, 627 pp, [5] pp. Rich engraved illustrations consisting of a frontispiece after Le Prince by Tilliard, a title vignette and a header vignette, a table of temperatures and 53 plates out of text of views, landscapes, costumes and biology including 4 fold-outs, 33 maps including 30 fold-outs bound in-fine of vols. illustrating the Carte géographique et minéralogique de la route de Brest à Tobolsk, the Carte topographique et minéralogique des montagnes qui séparent l'Europe de l'Asie..., the Coupes de la route de Brest à Tobolsk, the Carte de la Russie, du Kamtchatka et des îles Kourils and plans of various gold mines. The first edition of this fine and important scientific work on Russia is notable for the mineralogical and geological surveys it presents, as well as for its description of the manners and customs of this immense country and its denunciation of Russian despotism. The work was virulently refuted on this point in a 1771 text attributed to Catherine II and published under the title Antidote, ou Examen du mauvais livre superbalement imprimé intitulé Voyage en Sibérie. A fine copy in pleasant condition despite a loss to one of the headpieces and minor defects to the ff. Armorial bookplate of Henri Tronchin, handwritten bookplate of Charles R. Tronchin on the title page and label of the Bibliothèque de Bessinge. Provenance: Bibliothèque Tronchin-Givaudan, then by descent to the present owners Good condition, with most of the figures looking fresh, despite a few flaws in some of the maps Illustration complete, in good condition despite more marked oxidation to some maps Binding: Partial loss at head of vol.1 Very slight spotting to the upper cover of vol.2 An old, visibly reused epidermis on the bottom cover of vol.2 Old, faint traces of restoration to some headpieces One corner very slightly dulled on vol.2 Rubbing to the edges Minimal and superficial scratches and epidermis on the boards, one more visible on the upper board of vol.1 Inside pages : Many pages oxidised, more visible around the edges of the pages, some pages browned. Slight foxing, more or less scattered depending on the vol. and the pages. Some spotting, notably to some plates Slight discharges from the plates on the facing pages or on their folding parts Small tear with minimal loss probably from the time of printing in the margin of pp.427-428 of Vol.2 (Tome 1 bis) Slight scattered soiling according to vol. Some spotting in the margins of Volume 2 Vol.3 from ff. Xxx to Kkkk2 Fold-out maps bound in-fine: Vol.1: Small stain in margin of 3rd folding plate Map of the Vosges showing marked oxidation Vol.2: Map of the Kuril Islands with heavy oxidation Vol.3: 4th plate with more marked oxidation Tronchin- Givaudan Library Collected and preserved by several generations of the Tronchin and Givaudan families, the Tronchin-Givaudan library bears witness to a deep attachment to knowledge, historical awareness and the exceptional. The selection we have the honour of offering at auction highlights a subtle balance between erudition and the art of living. Comprising mainly works from the eighteenth and twentieth centuries, this collection covers more than five centuries of printed production, closely linked to the history of Geneva and the Tronchin family, one of the city's great patrician lineages, now extinct. A number of seventeenth-century titles hark back to the origins of this lineage, notably around the figure of Théodore Tronchin (lot 2567). However, it was in the 18th century, with the acquisition of the Bessinge estate by Jacob Tronchin in 1764, that the collection really took shape. The works, many of which bear the bookplates of Jean Armand Tronchin (1732-1813) and his son Henri (1794-1865), make up a collection faithful to the ideals of the Enlightenment, combining public law, classical humanities, science, travel accounts (lots 2471, 2479, 2554..), major works of 18th-century printing - including the plan of Paris by Turgot (lot 2591) - and rare editions bearing the royal coat of arms, such as those of Madame de Pompadour (lot 2545). At the turn of the 20th century, a new page was turned when Xavier Givaudan (1867-1966), a leading figure in the industrial boom alongside his brother Léon Givaudan (1875-1936) in the fields of synthetic perfume, chemicals and soap, established in Switzerland in 1917, acquired the estate in 1938 after renting it for several years. The library and works have been preserved and in part passed on to his descendants. His brother Léon Givaudan built up a bibliophile collection focusing on Art Deco books, bringing together works sublimated by bindings signed by the great contemporary bookbinders (lots 2606, 2626, 2648, etc.). His library was sold at auction in Paris on 3 June 1988. André Givaudan (1895-1973), Xavier Givaudan's son, also had a particular interest in literature, joining several bibliophile societies and adding a number of modern illustrated books to the collection. All the lots marked in brown in the printed catalogue come from the Tronchin-Givaudan Collection, then by descent to the current owners.