The French Jesuit Jean-Baptiste Du Halde (1674-1743) made use of letters and papers written by Jesuit missionaries in China to compile a description of China in four volumes. Du Halde, who was in charge of the publication of the Lettres édifiantes et curieuses, écrites des Missions étrangères, par quelques missionnaires de la Compagnie de Jésus from 1711 to 1743, used some of these letters and a number of reports not previously edited for compiling his Description. The first French edition was published in Paris in 1735, the second in The Hague in 1736. English editions and a German translation followed soon.
French editions:
Jean-Baptiste Du Halde: Description géographique, historique, chronologique, politique et physique de l’empire de la Chine et de la Tartarie chinoise (Paris: P.G. Lemercier 1735)
- Digitized: BIUM (Bibliothèque interuniversitaire de médicine et d’odontologie
- Bibliographic references: BS 45-48, JL 12, Löwendahl L 0394
- Entry in Wiener China-Bibliographie
Jean-Baptiste Du Halde: Description géographique, historique, chronologique, politique, et physique de l’empire de la Chine et de la Tartarie chinoise, enrichie des cartes générales et particulieres de ces pays, de la carte générale et des cartes particulieres du Thibet, & de la Corée; & ornée d’un grand nombre de figures & de vignettes gravées en tailledouce (La Haye, H. Scheurleer1736)
- Digitized: Internet Archive
- t. 1: Internet Archive (Book contributor& digitizing sponsor: Boston Public Library)
- t. 2: Internet Archive (Book contributor& digitizing sponsor: Boston Public Library)
- t. 3: Internet Archive (Book contributor& digitizing sponsor: Boston Public Library)
- t.4: Internet Archive (Book contributor& digitizing sponsor: Boston Public Library)
- Bibliographic reference: Löwendahl 0398, BS 48, Lust 13.
- Entry in Wiener China-Bibliographie
German version:
Jean Baptiste Du Halde/Mosheim/Engelbert Kaempfer: Ausführliche Beschreibung des Chinesischen Reichs und der grossen Tartarey : Aus dem Französischen mit Fleiß übersetzet, nebst vielen Kupfern (Rostock: Koppe 1747-1749)
- Digitized
- vol. 1:
> Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (URN: urn:nbn:de:bvb:12-bsb11065011-9) [fold-out plates not opened for scanning]
> Google Books (Original from Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, digitized 15 April 2013) [fold-out plates not opened for scanning] - vol. 2:
> Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (URN: urn:nbn:de:bvb:12-bsb11065012-4) [fold-out plates not opened for scanning]
> Google Books (Original from Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, digitized 15 April 2013) [fold-out plates not opened for scanning] - vol. 3:
> Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (URN: urn:nbn:de:bvb:12-bsb11065013-0) [fold-out plates not opened for scanning]
> Google Books (Original from Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, digitized 15 April 2013) [fold-out plates not opened for scanning] - vol. 4:
- > Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (URN: urn:nbn:de:bvb:12-bsb11065014-5) [fold-out plates not opened for scanning]
> Google Books (Original from Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, digitized 15 April 2013) [fold-out plates not opened for scanning]
- vol. 1:
- Bibliographic reference: BS 51
- Entry in Wiener China-Bibliographie
- Notes:
- Volume 4 contains E. Kaempfer’s „ Beschreibung des Japonischen Reichs“ (Description of the Japanese Empire)
- An appendix was published under the title Zusätze zu des Johann Baptista du Halde … Beschreibung (1756)
English versions:
Jean-Baptiste Du Halde/Richard Brookes [transl.]: The general history of China. Containing a geographical, historical, chronological, political and physical description of the empire of China, Chinese-Tartary, Corea, and Thibet. Including an exact and particular account of their customs, manners, ceremonies, religion, arts and sciences … Done from the French of P. Duhalde … (London: Watts 1736)
- Digitized: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek
- vol. 1: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (1736) | Google Books (Original from Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, digitized 9 February 2010)
- vol. 2: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (1736) | Google Books (Original from Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, digitized 9 February 2010)
- vol. 3:
- vol. 4:
- Bibliographic reference: ESTC Citation Number /T114211
Jean-Baptiste Du Halde/Richard Brookes [transl.]: The general history of China. Containing a geographical, historical, chronological, political and physical description of the empire of China, Chinese-Tartary, Corea, and Thibet. Including an exact and particular account of their customs, manners, ceremonies, religion, arts and sciences … Done from the French of P. Duhalde … (Second edition; London: Watts 1739)
- Digitized
- vol. 1:
- vol. 2:
- vol. 3: (1739): Bayerische Staatsbibliothek | Google Books (Original from Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, digitized 9 February 2010)
- vol. 4: (1739): Bayerische Staatsbibliothek | Google Books (Original from Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, digitized 9 February 2010) | HATHI Trust (Original from University of Michigan)
- Bibliographic reference: ESTC Citation Number N18353
Jean-Baptiste Du Halde/Richard Brookes [transl.]: The general history of China. Containing a geographical, historical, chronological, political and physical description of the empire of China, Chinese-Tartary, Corea, and Thibet. Including an exact and particular account of their customs, manners, ceremonies, religion, arts and sciences … Done from the French of P. Duhalde … (Third edition; London: Watts 1741)
- Digitized
- vol. 1: HATHI Trust (provenance: University of Michigan)
- vol. 2: HATHI Trust (provenance: University of Michigan)
- vol. 3: HATHI Trust (provenance: University of Michigan)
- vol. 4: HATHI Trust (provenance: University of Michigan)
- Bibliographic reference: ESTC Citation Number T121707
Bibliographic references:
Isabelle Landry-Deron: La Preuve par la Chine : la Description de J.-B. Du Halde, jésuite, 1735 (Paris: Éditions de l’École des hautes études en sciences sociales 2002) [Introduction available online], Löwendahl 0394 gives detailed notes on the content of the volumes and extensive bibliographic references.