SONNERAT (Pierre). Voyage aux Indes orientales et à la Chine, fait par ordre du Roi depuis 1774 jusqu'à 1781. Paris, chez l'auteur, Froulé, Nyon, Barrois, 1782; 3 volumes in-8 (212 x132 mm), marbled calf, spine ribbed and decorated (contemporary bindings). Second edition published the same year as the original in-4. Map of Pondicherry and 6 plates, based on drawings by Sonnerat himself: Hottentots and Caffres, view of the town of Canton, Indian festivals, etc. In this work, renowned for its accuracy, the naturalist Pierre Sonnerat (1745-1814) gives an account of his second voyage to Asia. The first three books are devoted to India, in particular Pondicherry, Sirate, the Coromandel and Malabar coasts, and the customs, religion, sciences and arts of the Indians. The fourth book relates his travels in China, Burma, Madagascar, Mauritius and Reunion, the Cape of Good Hope, the Maldives, Ceylon, Malacca, the Philippines and the Molluscs. The natural history of these different countries is the subject of the fifth book. Cordier, BS, 2102. A fine copy.