Jean-Jacques ROUSSEAU

Rare first edition.

Our copy is issued in its original state, unbound and preserved in wrappers.

Not recorded by Oberlé. Only two copies located in the CCFr (Cherbourg and Montpellier).

Alexandre Lesdos (1813-1865) was a member of the Société d'Agriculture and of the Société Académique de Cherbourg.

In this work, he devotes an entire chapter to the wines of Saint-Émilion, noted for their "bouquet as delicate as that of the violet." (our own translation)

Rare first edition (cf. Quérard IV, 138. NUC: 3 copies).

Written in French by J.A. Borelly (a German translation by G.W. Bartoldy appeared simultaneously from the same publisher), these engaging memoirs are the work of the Swedish general Johann Ludwig von Hordt [1719-1778].

Contemporary full grey paper boards, red shagreen title-piece with a small marginal defect, smooth spine, joints rubbed, binding of the period.

Preserved in a modern green paper box; title label at the head of the spine.

Some light foxing.

Rare copy in its original state: uncut and in the publisher’s boards.

First edition of this celebrated illustrated publication, issued in Paris by H.-L. Delloye in 84 parts between February 1842 and October 1843 and subsequently gathered into three volumes. Carteret described it as an “admirable publication printed on stout wove paper [...] one of the finest of the 19th century”, comparing the quality of its production to that of the great illustrated books of the 18th century. Carteret III, 143-153; Vicaire II, 234-248.

The first volume comprises 5 unnumbered leaves - half-title...

A counterfeit edition of Rousseau's celebrated essay, bearing the date of the true first edition.

Illustrated with a title vignette, one initial, and two head-pieces.
Contemporary full brown roan, spine with five raised bands, beige calf lettering-piece, small pomegranate gilt tools and fillets, gilt rolls to the board edges partly rubbed, all edges red. Corners bumped and rubbed, a tear with loss of leather to the front board, surface rubbing and white staining to the back board, loss of leather to the lower edge of the back board.

A pleasing copy of this masterpiece, a superb portrait of humankind that gave Voltaire "the longing to go on all fours" (letter to...

First duodecimo edition, or first edition in 12mo format, illustrated with five fine plates by Eisen, including two in the first volume and one frontispiece in each of the remaining three. Title pages printed in red and black. As expected, the first volume has no half-title, unlike the other three volumes.

Contemporary full mottled calf binding. Smooth spines richly decorated. Tan morocco title and volume labels. Blue sprinkled edges. Small loss at the head of volume III, short wormtrack at the head of volume I, rubbing marks. Loss to the lower margin corner of the final leaf of volume I. A handsome copy.

Rare and genuine posthumous first edition of the first six books of the Confessions, the remaining volumes not appearing until 1789. Several other editions were issued shortly thereafter, but the evidence provided by the commentary published in the June 1782 issue of the Journal Helvétique clearly establishes that this separately printed edition, known as the "large type" issue, is indeed the very first (F. Michaux, "L'Édition originale de la première partie des 'Confessions' de J.-J. Rousseau" in Revue d'Histoire littéraire de la France, 35th Year, No. 2 (1928), pp. 250-253).
Contemporary half calf bindings, flat spines tooled with gilt fillets and decorated...

Counterfeit edition published only one year after the octavo and duodecimo first editions. This copy in the same format as the octavo first edition that was corrected by Rousseau.

Contemporary full calf, smooth spine decorated with five gilt fleuron tools, red morocco lettering-piece, single fillet ruled in blind to boards, gilt fillet to board edges, red edges, marbled endpapers and pastedowns.

Head of spine missing, usual wear...

first edition, rare. A general folding table of all tones and keys in fine.

Binding in full speckled brown sheepskin. Ornate nerved back. title label of red morocco. 3 blunt corners. Dark spots on the boards. Discreet restorations, Contemporary binding.
In 1742 Rousseau published a Project concerning new signs for music (1742) in which he proposed to revolutionize the system of musical notation, considered too complex. The Royal Academy of Sciences will be reluctant, which is why Rousseau perseveres and then offers his Dissertation on modern music , more complete and theoretical. Rousseau thus makes the apology in his preface of his system of notation intended to...