Lettres edifiantes et curieuses, ecrites des missions etrangeres, par quelques missionaires de la Compagnie de Jesus. XVII. Recueil
Paris: Nicolas Le Clerc, 1726. First edition, 12mo, pp. xxxiv, [2], 446, [14]; contemporary full calf, gilt-decorated spine in 6 compartments, red stained edges; spine label perished, boards rubbed and upper hinge starting; ex-St. Stanislaus Novitiate House Library, Guelph, Ont. (closed in 1971) with labels and a bookplate on upper pastedown, and shelf label on spine, good and sound. Volume XVII contains letters on: Letters from Dominique Parennin on his work in China, recounting the conversion of the imperial princes; missionary work in Southeast China (Macao and Fokien); Chinese interest in Western medicine and the Tartar language; work with the Abenakis in the American Northeast, including war with the English, by Sebastien Rasles, along with an account of his death; and description and uses of Chinese rhubarb. One volume of the 34-volume collection of Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents (1703-1776). "These volumes, issued regularly by the Society of Jesus, presented selections from correspondence and reports written by Jesuit missionaries then scattered around the globe" and reflected "the continued interest in France in the progress of the Jesuit missions in various parts of the world. The termination of the series reflects the suppression of the Society of Jesus by papal decree" (James Ford Bell Catalogue, L-368). Collectively they provided some of the most thorough reporting on China in particular to Western audiences of the period. Howes L 299; James Ford Bell Catalogue, L-368. Item #58187
Price: $650.00
