VERNE (Jules). The Great Navigators of the 18th Century. 51 drawings by P. Philippotaux. 66 facsimiles (based on historical documents) and maps by Matthis and Morieu. Paris: Bibliothèque d’éducation et de récréation, J. Hetzel et Cie, [1879]. — In-8, 274 x 178. Brick-red percaline cardboard binding “in the style of the Ptolemaic armillary sphere,” gilt edges (Engel). First edition illustrated with drawings by Paul Dominique Philippoteaux, as well as several facsimiles and 18 maps. This is the second volume of the trilogy *History of Great Voyages and Great Travelers*, which traces the history of the great maritime explorers of the 18th century who helped map the oceans and continents. The book is divided into two parts, and it is in the second part that a chapter—Chapter II—is devoted to the explorers of Africa: Shaw in Algeria and Tunisia; Iornemann in Fezzan; Adanson in Senegal; - Houghton in Senegambia. — Mungo Park and his two voyages to the Djoliba or Niger River. — Sego. — Timbuktu. - Sparmann and Levaillant in the Cape, Natal, and the interior. — Lacerda in Mozambique and among the Cazembé. — Bruce in Abyssinia. — The sources of the Blue Nile. — Lake Tzana. — Browne’s journey through Darfur. Copy in its original cardboard binding, “à la sphère armillaire ptolémaïque.” AB Catalog (1879–1880) bound at the end. Wear on the caps and hinges. Stains on the covers, small loss at the bottom of the second cover. Foxing.