[PERU]
UNANUE, DON JOSEPH HIPOLITO. Guia Política, Eclesiastica y Militar del Vireynato del Peru para el Ano de 1797. [Lima]: Imprenta Real de los Ninos Huerfanos, [1797]. First edition of the fifth and final locally printed, eighteenth century, guide to the country of Peru. Bound in contemporary Peruvian mottled calf, intricate gilt-tooled spine. 5 3/4 x 4 inches (14.5 x 10 cm); [8], xii, [2], 259 (i.e. 275), [13] pp., illustrated with a folding map and 6 folding tables. Slight worming to boards, minor rubbing to foot, two old French stamps to title, overall a very fresh and attractive copy.
The folding map, dated 1792, depicts the coastline and partial interior, including portions of the Altiplano. This guide offers detailed information on the provinces of Peru numbers of people (divided into sub-categories i.e. clergy, Indios, Spanish, Mestizos, slaves, etc.), the existing buildings (types and uses, often with amount of rents paid), the names of public officials (administrators, clergy, etc.), then a list of the main staples produced by the town, village or region. The folding plans are financial, showing import and export values, the number and type of mines, their values, and the number of laborers at each. The work, printed by the Royal Printing House of Orphan Children, is quite rare; OCLC lists only four copies.