(ROCHEFORT Charles de). A Natural and Moral History of the Antilles Islands of America. With a Caribbean Vocabulary. Rotterdam, Leers, 1658; in-4 (220 x 162 mm), marbled calf, spine ribbed with gilt fleurons (Rel. c. 1750) ORIGINAL EDITION OF THIS IMPORTANT WORK, ONE OF THE MAIN SOURCES FOR THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE ANTILLES - along with that of du Tertre. Beautiful frontispiece showing natives presenting the rich products of their soil, portrait of the dedicatee, 43 FINE ENGRAVINGS, 32 in the text and 11 full-page: diversity, luxuriance and strangeness of the fauna, fish, shellfish, plants, appearance and costumes of the islanders... The first part is devoted to a description of the various islands, the second to their history, the settlement of foreigners, particularly the French, the character of the natives, their games, customs and beliefs, and the ways of making sugar, ginger, indigo and cotton. At the end, Caribbean vocabulary (12 pp.). The dedication is signed L.D.P (Longvilliers de Poincy). A very fine copy, elegantly bound (small stains on a few pages; margin restored on 4 pages with loss of some letters, redone in pen, and slight damage to one plate). At the end, signature Soyer with date 21 fev 1755 - probably the amateur who had the work bound with a ms. table of plates in his hand.