[ROCHEFORT (César de). Natural and moral history of the Antilles Islands of America. With a Caribbean vocabulary. Rotterdam, Arnoult Leers, 1665. In-4, porphyry calf, triple fillet, ornate spine, twisted edges, inner lace, gilt edges (18th century binding). Second edition revised and enlarged by the author on the first, published by the same publisher in 1658. It is illustrated with an allegorical frontispiece, three folding plates and forty-four figures in the text, all finely engraved on copper. Histoire naturelle et morale des Îles Antilles contains invaluable information on the natural history of the West Indies, in particular the local plantations (guava, papaya, cocoa, ginger, mahogany, etc.), the fauna (oppossum, armadillo, parrots, flying fish, "sea monsters", etc.) and the geology of the West Indies, as well as Caribbean customs and language and the establishment of the French colonies. In his Histoire générale des Antilles, Jean-Baptiste Dutertre claims to be the author of this work, whose manuscript was allegedly stolen from him by César de Rochefort. The Vocabulaire caraïbe, on pp. 571-583, was written by Raymond Breton. Among the additions to this edition are a letter from the Chevalier de Poincy, a more extensive account of the island of Tabago and the three large plates, which were not in the original. A fine copy, nicely bound in the 18th century. A few scattered stains and folds, a tear without missing p. 183, one bit skilfully restored. Leclerc, n°1333 - Chadenat, n°963 - Sabin, XVII, n°72316 - Alden & Landis, 665.173 - Brunet, III, 206 - Nissen, ZBI, n°3448 - E. C. Wilkie, "The Authorship and Purpose of the Histoire naturelle et morale des Îles Antilles", Harvard Library Bulletin, N. S. II/3, 1991, pp. 26-84.