Le Tour de Monde: Nouveau Journal des Voyages, 1861
Author
Edouard Charton
Date1861
Object number00030850
NameBook
MediumInk on paper, leather
DimensionsOverall: 308 x 233 x 30 mm, 1.66 kg
ClassificationsBooks and journals
Credit LineANMM Collection Purchased with the assistance of the Louis Vuitton Trust Fund
DescriptionA compilation of the 1861 issues of the French weekly journal 'Le Tour de Monde: Nouveau Journal des Voyages' [Voyage of the World; New Journal of the Voyages] by Edouard Charton.
Le Tour de Monde: Nouveau Journal des Voyages features many illustrations for which it became well known. At its peak the journal had a weekly circulation of 150,000 and is considered to be one of the inspirations forJules Verne's ' Around the World in 80 Days' in 1873.
HistoryEdouard Charton was a French publisher, politician, philosopher, lawyer, writer and educator who believed in 'fighting ignorance' through educating the public in a wide range of areas and encouraging general reading. He was a director of publication at Hachette for 30 years and a member of the National Assembly in Paris. Charton backed his beliefs by starting up many publications of the day including L'Illustration, Le Magasin Pittoresque, Bibliothèque des Merveilles and Le Tour de Monde: Nouveau Journal des Voyages.
This collection of Le Tour de Monde: Nouveau Journal des Voyages contains lengthy articles on Australasia and the Pacific. For example, in the volume for 1860 the article on South Australia contains some illustrations of Aboriginal graves by Gustave Dore, the mystical artist and illustrator, famous for 'Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner'.
The 1861 issue has an extensive review of Victoria by Hubert de Castella, an early French settler, and 1862 contains a report on Burke and Wills with an image of Coopers Creek appears.
SignificanceLe Tour du Monde was a long - running journal that gratified 19th century fascination with the exploration ofthe world and the subsequent European colonies that resulted from it. The volumes contain lengthy illustrated articles on Australasia and the Pacific and the series could be compared with the National Geographic of our own century.
