Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux MAUREPAS

Second edition, partly original, notably augmented with several additional pieces, complete with the caricature  woodcut portrait of the widow Oudot as frontispiece, printed in green, as is the title. According to Barbier, the burlesque portrait was engraved by one of the authors, the comte de Caylus himself.

Contemporary full mottled brown calf, smooth spine richly gilt with fleurons, palms and scrollwork, brown-red morocco lettering-piece, triple gilt fillet bordering the boards with fleurons at corners, gilt...

First edition from a limited printing of 116 copies. Unnumbered copy on Holland paper. Title pages in red and black.
Contemporary half red shagreen binding with corners. Spine with raised bands richly decorated. Double fillet border on boards. Top edge gilt. Dark spotting to spine of volume 4, one spot on volume 3 and spine of volume 6. Traces of rubbing. Uncut copy.
Minister to Louis XV, the Count de Maurepas commissioned Pierre de Clairambault, genealogist, to compile all the libertine pieces written under Louis XIV and Louis XV, resulting in 40 volumes. The selection of pieces contained in Poulet-Malassis's collection is attributed to Jules Gay, the latter having judiciously...

Edition with some parts in first edition as it contains numerous unpublished texts, one of 50 numbered copies on China paper, ours bearing No. 1, the only deluxe copies with 50 Whatman.
Bindings in half caramel calf, spines with five raised bands set with gilt fillets and decorated with double gilt compartments ornamented with gilt dentelles, brown morocco title labels, navy blue morocco volume labels, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, top edges gilt, original wrappers preserved, some corners slightly bumped, contemporary bindings.
Some minor rubbing traces on certain spines, small holes in the spine margins of the first (volumes 1 & 2) and third (volumes 5 &...