Sale - Voyageurs Modernes - 1760

THE WORLD IN THE ILLUMINIST SALON: FOUR VOLUMES OF KNOWLEDGE, ESOTERISM, AND LIGHT
The French edition of Les voyageurs modernes, ou Abrégé de plusieurs voyages faits en Europe, Asie & Afrique (Paris, 1760) is a translation and adaptation of the modern part of the great English compilation entitled An Universal History, from the Earliest Account of Time, specifically of the so‑called “Modern Part,” published in London from 1747 onward.
The English work was not written by a single author, but by a team of compilers. The 1760 French version is not a literal, full translation, but a condensed abridgement (selective synthesis) that reorganizes and synthesizes the English material to fit the tastes and audience of the French Enlightenment.
This 1760 edition of Les voyageurs modernes, ou Abrégé de plusieurs voyages faits en Europe, Asie & Afrique represents one of the most relevant eighteenth‑century syntheses of European travel literature, designed to offer a well‑ordered collection of the main explorations and descriptions of peoples to a cultivated but non‑specialist audience. The work is strictly derivative, as both abridgement and translation, from the Modern Part of An Universal History, from the Earliest Account of Time, the monumental multi‑volume universal history published in London between 1747 and 1768, organized and written by a group of English historians, orientalists, and compilers.
MARKET VALUE
Complete four‑volume series of Les voyageurs modernes, contemporary eighteenth‑century editions, generally command in the European antiquarian market a value range between 500 and 800 euros, with strong fluctuations tied to the quality of period bindings, the freshness of the cut edges, and overall preservation. Exemplars in full uniform leather, with red morocco corners and well‑preserved boards, tend to sit in the upper middle of the market range.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Four volumes. Contemporary full leather bindings with leather corners and gilt titles; uniformly red edges. The pages show some foxing and light browning, compatible with the era. Solid structure, light wear consistent with use in the period. In old books with a multi‑century history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (4); 20; 436; (4). (4); 6; 364; (4). (4); 12; 386; (4). (6); 10; 412; 8 nn.; (4).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Les voyageurs modernes, ou Abrégé de plusieurs voyages faits en Europe, Asie & Afrique.
Paris, Chez Nyon, Guillyn, Hardy, 1760.
AA.VV. (from An Universal History, Modern Part).

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Les voyageurs modernes fits within the broad tradition of eighteenth‑century travel literature, but distinguishes itself by its compendiary and didactic nature: not a direct account of personal explorations, nor an exotic novel, but a mental map of the world conceived for European bourgeois or aristocratic readers interested in understanding the relations between cultures, customs, and diverse geographies. The text reflects the Enlightenment ideal of rational organization of knowledge: travel becomes a tool of comparison and classification more than a mere narrative event.

BIOGRAPHIES OF THE ENGLISH CONTRIBUTORS
George Sale (1697–1736)
English scholar of oriental studies and linguist, he is best remembered for his famous English translation of the Quran (1734), which influenced European writers of the time. Educated in Canterbury, he practiced as a lawyer and orientalist, contributing to various projects of broad cultural scope, including An Universal History, for which he wrote key sections, including the cosmological introduction. His eclectic training combined legal, philological, and historical skills, contributing to the encyclopedic style of the English work from which Les voyageurs modernes derives.

George Psalmanazar (1679?–1763)
An interesting figure of early modern Britain: probably born in France or Germany, he became known in London by presenting himself falsely as a native of Formosa, publishing a fictitious account of the local customs and language. He later confessed the fraud and devoted himself to scholarship and translation, becoming one of the compilers of An Universal History. His experience as a “humanist impostor” influenced the narrative and descriptive form of the geographical and cultural materials included in the great history.

Archibald Bower (1686–1766)
A Scottish historian whose life wandered among several religious affiliations, starting as a Jesuit, passing through Anglicanism, and returning to those choices several times. He participated in the writing of An Universal History, contributing the history of Rome and other narrative cores. His classical training and controversial religious career made him a significant figure in the British historiographical debates of his time.

John Campbell (1708–1775)
Scottish historian and compiler known for his contributions to the encyclopedic works of the eighteenth century. He contributed to the editing of An Universal History, helping to narrate modern events and contexts. His most famous work remains Lives of the Admirals, but his expertise in modern world historiography made him valuable to the joint composition of the English work.

John Swinton (1703–1777)
Scottish antiquary and historian active in the first half of the eighteenth century, contributed to various sections of An Universal History, with particular attention to chronological and genealogical parts. His academic and antiquarian experience helped structure the narrative and documentary order of the work.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Les voyageurs modernes was printed in Paris by Nyon, Guillyn, and Hardy in 1760, at a moment when English and French encyclopedic works circulated widely in translation and adaptation. The French version is part of that transnational cultural phenomenon that saw the circulation of ideas and knowledge beyond language barriers, making material rooted in the British historiographical tradition accessible to continental European readers.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU/OPAC SBN: record for Les voyageurs modernes, Paris 1760
WorldCat: locations of copies of the French edition and related variants
An Universal History, from the Earliest Account of Time, London 1747–1768, contributions by Sale, Psalmanazar, Bower, Campbell, Swinton
Studies on travel literature and eighteenth‑century encyclopedic historiography (to be supplemented with specialist repertoires).