Histoire Generale des Voyages

Histoire Générale des Voyages was one of the most important and wide-ranging travel publications of the 18th century, compiled and edited by Abbé Prévost. The first Paris edition was published between 1746 and 1759 in 15 volumes, followed by an expanded and updated 25-volume Paris edition issued from 1756 to 1789. In parallel, a significant edition was also published in The Hague (La Haye) beginning in 1747, with slightly different content, pagination, or illustration plates, tailored for the Dutch market. All editions were richly illustrated with detailed maps, plans, and plates, many engraved by Jacques-Nicolas Bellin, France’s leading naval cartographer. The Histoire provided Enlightenment-era readers with a sweeping global view of geography, exploration, and ethnography, and remains a cornerstone of historical cartographic and travel literature.