MARTEL (Pierre) and WINDHAM (William). An account of the glacieres or ice Alps in Savoy, in two letters, one from an English gentleman to his friend at Geneva ; the other from Pierre Martel, engineer, to the said English gntleman [sic]. London, Pierre Martel, 1744. Small in-4°, full tan calf binding, muted smooth spine, gilt title on first board (modern binding). First edition, illustrated with two hors-texte plates engraved with etchings; the first is a fold-out view drawn by Robert Price showing the Dru and the Mer de Glace, and the second by Pierre Martel includes a map, a view of the Chamouny valley and the glaciers and various animals that inhabit these mountains. This is the London publication of the Relation by Windham, who was the first traveller with Richard Pococke to visit the Montenvers site in 1741, and the relation by Pierre Martel, who followed in his footsteps the following year. This very rare publication played a fundamental role in the discovery of the Glacières by natural scientists in the 18th century, as well as for the increasing number of travellers who visited the Montenvers site. The map drawn up by Martel is particularly interesting; its great innovation is the representation and naming of peaks and glaciers that had previously remained anonymous, such as the Aiguille du Dru, Mont Malay and the five glaciers on the Savoyard side: Bois, Bossons, Argentière, Four (sic) and Trian. This map also marks the first use of the term "Mont Blanc", replacing "Montagne Maudite". A fine copy. Perret, 2836 - Regards sur les Alpes 11 - Le Mont-Blanc vu par les peintres pp. 16-17 - Meckly 222 - Neate W109 - Montagnier - Coolidge 35 - Rean pp. 15-16