Latin Edition of the Earliest Collection of Voyages, Darwin’s Origin of Species in Doyle’s Upcoming Auction

The latest sale from Doyle will offer more than 300 lots of rare books, maps, and autographs. Leading the catalog is the first Latin edition of the earliest collection of voyages, including Columbus and Vespucci. The work, compiled by Fracanzano da Montalboddo, contains accounts of various voyages such as the first three voyages of Columbus; Pedro Alvares Cabral’s discovery of the Brasilian, Guianaian, and Venezuelan coasts from 1500 to 1501; Alvise da Cadamosto’s explorations along the West African coast in 1456; and Vasco da Gama’s expeditions. Before the Latin edition, it was first printed in Italian in 1507 as Paesi Novamente Retrovati.  

Also available is the first edition of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. The offered lot was published by John Murray in 1859. It is one of the 1,250 copies printed. The book introduced the theory that living beings evolve for generations through a process of natural selection. Interested collectors can also consider the Alecto edition of Karl Bodmer’s illustrations of Indian life, a presentation map prepared by David Livingstone in Cape Town, an uncut copy of Livio Sanuto’s 1588 atlas of Africa, and a war-date letter from General Washington to Colonel James Wood regarding a prisoner exchange. View the complete Rare Books, Autographs & Maps Including the Esmond Bradley Martin Collection catalog on Doyle’s website.