Malta. DE VERTOT. Histoire des Chevaliers Hospitaliers de S. Jean de Jerusalem.

4 Vols in-4to. 255 x 190 mm. Contemporary calf binding, richly gilt, 2 col. labels to spine, triple vignette to covers.

Vol. I: Frontispiece with portrait of the Author, portrait of the 65th Master Antoine Manoel De Vilhena, a folded geographic map of the Mediterranean, Map of the Eastern Mediterranean with Cyprus, Map of the Dodecanese, portrait of the founder Gerrard, pages [12], 696, 24 portraits of the first Grand Masters, 1 portrait not numbered of S. Anna de Geneuillac. In total 28 portraits;

Vol. II: pages [2], 719, [1], Full-page out-of-text map of Rhodes and 19 portraits of Masters (from 25th to 43rd), Portrait of Frère Maurice de Pagnac, unnumbered. In total 20 portraits;

Vol. III: pages [2], 535, (1), 221, [1], 4, 2, 537-552, Malta map, map of Valletta, 5 portraits of Masters (from 44th to 48th);

Vol. IV: pages 240, 408, XX, 16 portraits of Masters from the 49th to the 64th, 2 unnumbered portraits. In total 18 portraits.

Titlepages printed in red and black, 4 copper engraved head-pieces, woodcut tailpieces. In total, portrait of the Author engraved in the Frontispiece, 6 geographical plates and maps, 70 portraits with the coats of arms engraved out of the text. 

Little defects on spines. Slight foxing. Nice specimen with wide margins printed on thick paper.

Magnificently illustrated first edition, put on the Index shortly after its publication. Famous history of the Knights of Malta, from the foundation of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem at the end of the 11th century until the designation, in 1722, of Antoine Manoel de Villhena, 65th Grand Master of the Order. He works with a rich iconographic apparatus. On the Frontispiece, the portrait of the author engraved by Jean-François Cars from a drawing by Jacques-François Delyen; the 70 oval portraits bearing the coats of Arms of the Masters, are engraved by Cars; the 6 geographical plates, of which 5 folded several times, all out of text, depict the territories linked to the history of the Order: the Mediterranean, a beautiful map of Malta, the map of Valletta, the eastern Mediterranean with Cyprus, the Dodecanese and, on single sheet, a map of Rhodes. The three geographical maps are engraved by Delahaye, from the Guillaume Delisle, premier géographe du Roi; the map of Rhodes and the two maps of Malta in the third volume are engraved by De Berey; the 4 Haedpieces are engraved by Scottin and Cars.

It was the order of Saint-Jean that commissioned Abbot Vertot to write a chronicle of his own history. To compose the History of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem, the author took 13 years of work, but it was far from the expectations of his patrons. What was supposed to be a mere chronicle of the Order ended up arousing the wrath of the inquisition for the numerous anti-papist statements. However, it was a huge popular success, in part due to the Vatican ban. Today it represents an excellent testimony to the history of the book and of censorship.