PAUW Cornélius de; and PERNETY Antoine-Joseph: - Lot 154

PAUW Cornélius de; and PERNETY Antoine-Joseph: Recherches philosophiques sur les Américains, ou mémoires intéressants pour servir à l'histoire de l'espèce humaine. Followed by Dissertation sur l'Amérique et les Américains contre les recherches philosophiques de Mr. de P. by Dom Pernety. Followed by Défense des recherches philosophiques sur les Américains par Mr. de P. S.n., 1770, London, then Berlin. [XXII p., 326p., 13 ff.n.ch. - 366 p., 16 ff.n.ch., 136 p. - 256 pages] Cornelius de Paw, long considered a specialist in the Americas without ever having been there, sets out here to demonstrate the inferiority of American production, while Pernety refutes this theory in his dissertation, this time with the advantage of having been there as "chaplain-naturalist" on the Bougainville expedition that took them to the Falklands (1762-1763). This rebuttal is in the second volume (separate pagination), to which Pauw then replies in the third volume. Pauw asserted that anthropological and climatic factors on the American continent would contribute to the degeneration of the American colonies, and predicted that Europeans would not be able to adapt. He considered the native population to be physically and morally weak. This work provoked considerable controversy. Dom Pernety responded with his Dissertation sur l'Amérique et les Américains (tome 2), defending the reputation of the American Indians. Pauw replied to Dom Pernety with a Défense contre cette dissertation, printed later (tome 3). Despite the many controversies, this text attracted the attention of Diderot and D'Alembert, who hired Pauw to write several articles for the Encyclopédie. Set of 3 volumes, identically bound: full basane, 5-rib spine, decorated with gilt, title page on orange leather, tomaison on eggplant leather, three speckled edges, wear and rubbing to binding, otherwise fresh inside.