René DESCARTES

Two works bound in one volume: first edition of Principia philosophiae fol­lowed by the first Latin edition of Spec­imina philosophiae. Complete with blank leaves b4 and 2Q4.

 

Printer's mark representing Minerva and her owl, as well as the motto “Ne extra oleas” on the title page. Numerous in-text engrav­ings.

Bound in full calf, spine with five raised bands framed in gilt, elaborately decorat­ed in gilt, gilt arms of the Society of Writers to the Signet at center of boards framed in blind, marbled endpapers, speckled edges. Library shelfmark glued to the pastedown endpaper, additional penned shelfmarks on the pastedown, and a manuscript...

Rare illustrated 17th-century reimpression of Abbé Claude Picot's French translation of the Principia Philosophiæ, first published in Amsterdam in 1644. Ownership inscription in black ink on the title page signed "C.J. Bidey Sacerdotis de Dola in utroque lege Licentiam," likely a priest from Dole in the Jura, and a gift inscription in brown ink by "L.F. de Moriat."

Contemporary binding in full speckled brown calf, spine with five raised bands decorated with four richly gilt compartments, red morocco lettering piece, gilt roll on board edges...

New edition published under the direction of Victor Cousin and illustrated with 45 folding plates at the end of the volumes.

Full polished calf bindings in light brown, spines evenly darkened with four raised bands ruled in gilt and decorated with double gilt panels, gilt rolls at head and tail, gilt friezes at the foot of the spines, a few heads of spines slightly trimmed, joints rubbed, black calf lettering and volume labels, gilt fillet and garland borders on the covers, upper boards gilt-stamped at centre with crowned laurel wreaths and the gilt inscription “académie de Paris - Prix du concours général”, moiré silk endpapers and pastedowns in white, all edges gilt, gilt fillets...

[The Man of René Descartes. And a treatise on the formation of the foetus by the same author].
Chez Jacques Le Gras, à Paris 1664, 4-to (18 x 24cm), (70 p.) 448 pp. (8 p.), bound.

The true first edition. The privilege is shared between several publishers: Charles Angot, Jacques and Nicolas Le Gras and Théodore Girard. A Latin translation had been published in Leiden in 1662 by Florent Schuyl (1619-1669), from a poor copy of the text, according to the preface by Claude Clerselier (1614-1684), who had the original Descartes manuscript.
Illustrated with 49 figures of optics and anatomy by MM. de Gutschoven and de La Forge, marked “G” or “F”...

Chez Charles Angot, à Paris 1668, 4to (17.5 x 23cm), 303 pp. (23 p.); 127 pp. (1 p.), bound.

Third edition of Discours de la méthode, dated 8 May 1668, expanded with Traité de la Méchanique first published here and the first French edition of Abrégé de la Musique. Another “third edition” of Discours de la Méthode by Théodore Girard and Nicolas Le Gras (with Michel Bobin) was printed a few days earlier (28 April) without the additional texts. For the first time, Descartes' name is present on the title-page of both editions.
First edition of Traité de la méchanique and first French...

Original edition Latin. Brand printer representing Minerva and her owl, and the motto "Do Oleas extra" on the title page. In-text engravings. Bookplate of Abbot Those Pottery pasted on the first inside cover, ex-dono deleted and library stamp on the title page.

Contemporary binding in full brown calf with a few discrete restorations, ornate back with five nerves, part of title red morocco, gilt roll on turns all red sprinkled edges. Some foxing two more pronounced at the beginning and end of the volume. Trimmed a little short in the lead.

It is in 1644 that Descartes wrote in Latin Principia philosophiae, with attention to clarify and give a sound and rigorous...