Recent Arrival: Baron de Lahontan

December 2016—Early Midwest Travel Narrative by Baron de Lahontan
The first English translation of Louis Armand, Baron de Lahontan’s popular work New Voyages to North America is now available for research and instruction in the Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives. Published in 1703, this rare book is one of the most important early Midwestern travel narratives.

Louis-Armand de Lom d’Arce de Lahontan, Baron de Lahontan, served in the French military in Canada, writing about his extensive travel in the Great Lakes and upper Mississippi valley on his return to Europe. This richly illustrated book includes twenty four plates and maps of the geography, Native American tribal life, and wildlife of the Great Lakes region. The work also includes a Dictionary of the Algonkin Language, as well as a list of some Huron words and an appendix detailing trips to Portugal and Denmark.

The Special Collections and University Archives Rare Book Collection has significant holdings in travel narratives of early exploration and interactions with Native American tribes. Regular exhibits feature books from the holdings, and the collection is open for research. For more information, contact Amy Cooper-Cary, head of the Department of Special Collections and University Archives at Marquette University.