A Natural and Civil History of California: Containing an Accurate Description of that Country, Its Soils, Mountains, Harbours, Lakes, Rivers and Seas; Its Animals, Vegetables, Minerals and Famous Fishery for Pearls. ...

Author: Miguel Venegas (1680–1764)

Year: 1759

Publisher: James Rivington & James Fletcher

Place: London

Description:

2 volumes. [20]+455 pages with frontispiece, folding copper-engraved map of California and two engraved plates ; [8]+387 pages with frontispiece and two engraved plates. Octavo (8" x 5") rebacked full calf, spines tooled in gilt, raised bands, morocco lettering pieces. (Cowan p.658; Hill, Pacific Voyages, p.307; Howes V69; (Wheat, Transmississippi 138, Vol. I p.85); Zamorano 80 #78) First Edition in English.

Miguel Venegas SJ was a Jesuit administrator and historian. He is most known for his book Noticia de la California, a standard geographical, historical, and ethnographic description of Baja California, Mexico—a region he never personally visited. As a historian, he was cautious in his investigations, critical in his selection of sources and concerned with discovering the truth. In his major work on California, he cited Georg Marcgraf and Willem Piso's Historia Naturalis Brasiliae (1648), an important compendium on flora and fauna in Brazil, which circulated widely in northern Europe and beyond.

In the mid-1730s, he was assigned the task of writing an account of Baja California. This seems to have been, at least in part, to counter the setback to the missionaries' efforts and reputation caused by the Pericú revolt on the southernmost part of the peninsula in 1734. The historian was given access to the missionaries' correspondence and reports, and he was able to exchange letters with them to acquire further information, which he did through the use of questionnaires.

Venegas' 600-page manuscript, Empresas Apostólicas, was completed in 1739. It was sent to Spain, but it languished there rather than seeing publication because it was too detailed with regard to military matters. Another Jesuit historian, Andrés Marcos Burriel, extensively revised Venegas' manuscript in the 1750s, and it was finally published in 1757 as Noticia de la California in three volumes at Madrid. This work by Venegas and Burriel was subsequently translated into English (1759), Dutch (1761–1762), French (1766–1767), and German (1769–1770), and it became the standard source for information about the early Californias. (Wikipedia)

Condition:

Rubbing, scuffs and soiling to calf, rear joint of Vol. I starting; some paper restoration to frontispiece and front free endpaper of Vol. I, light foxing else very good.