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 fillet on board edges, all edges gilt, pastedowns and endpapers of small-comb pattern marbled paper.

Small losses to the headcaps, lower joint of the front board split over 1 in., light wear to the joints, some surface scratching to the board margins, front board slightly warped, corners bumped.

Marginal stain on p. 19.

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 retained only the most libertine, most scandalous and most frivolous pieces, all freed from circumstantial pieces, panegyrics and other idle dissertations. Numerous historical figures appear, portrayed with quite surprising erotic license and treated in an outrageous manner.
Alphabetical table of songs, epigrams, etc. contained in the Maurepas collection, alphabetical table of characters contained in the pieces, and index in volume VI.

Edition with some parts in first edition as it contains numerous unpublished texts, one of 50 numbered copies on China paper, ours bearing No. 1, the only deluxe copies with 50 Whatman.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 & 6) volumes, one stain on the spine of the second volume (volumes 3 & 4), worming in the margins of the last forty pages of the first volume (volumes 1 & 2) not touching the text.
Work illustrated with 50 etched portraits by Rousselle and Rivoalen, here in double state as in the China and Whatman copies.
Handsome copy of this collection, composed of the famous collections of Pierre Clairambault (genealogist of the King's orders), of Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux Maurepas and numerous other unpublished manuscripts.