Toulon

Extremely scarce Toulon printing, illustrated with in-text figures and tables.

Only one copy recorded in the CCF (BnF).

Contemporary half brown sheep, the faded smooth spine gilt with fillets, garlands and floral tools, marbled paper boards slightly sunned at the head-margins, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, marbled edges.

A tear without loss to the foot of the half-title.

A professor at Franeker and later at Amsterdam, Jan Hendrik van Swinden (1746–1823) was the most renowned Dutch physicist of the eighteenth century.

First edition (cf. Polak, 9297. Only two copies listed in the CCF, at the BnF and Marseille).

Small loss at foot of spine, covers slightly soiled at the margins, contemporary ownership inscription at head of the front wrapper, some foxing.

Unique edition of this very bleak portrait of the state of the French navy at the end of the July Monarchy ("Tout est à refaire dans la marine, c'est un échaffaudage craquant de tous côtés, il faut y faire une révolution radicale, si l'on veut obtenir un résultat digne de la France ; tous les palliatifs employés jusqu'à présent, pour masquer la décrépitude de l'édifice, ne tendent qu'à inspirer une dangereuse confiance à ceux qui ne voient...

First edition (cf. Polak 8547).

Rare copy preserved in its original stitching, in temporary cream paper wrappers.

A few marginal manuscript annotations on page 49.

This publication includes only the decrees issued between 7 Thermidor Year II [25 July 1794] and 9 Fructidor Year II [26 August 1794], although the mission of the Convention member Jeanbon Saint-André (1749–1813) in Toulon continued until March 1795.

An important document on the work of one of the reformers of the French navy during the Revolution.

Rare first edition illustrated, at the end of the volume, with 2 folding plates.

Unique edition, of the utmost rarity, rendered all the more so by the second dedication to Berthier, unrecorded elsewhere and evidently added later.

It is known that the young Bonaparte, assigned to the artillery regiment of La Fère, had passionately learned his military trade at the Royal School of Artillery in Auxonne.

It is also known that he had studied in depth the Nouveaux principes d'artillerie by Benjamin Robins, on which he left notes.

This work must therefore have drawn his particular attention. The author long taught artillery in military schools, yet little is known about...

Rare first edition (cf. Polak 2250).

Copy preserved in its original wrappers and in a plain grey waiting cover.

Some marginal staining affecting a few leaves; at the end of the volume, marginal repairs to three leaves, not affecting the printed text.

This double shipwreck occurred off the Algerian coast.

Unpublished political, scientific and historical archives

The complete manuscript unpublished papers of Louis, Chevalier de Sade (1753-1832), author of the Lexicon politique and cousin of the famous Marquis.
The important geopolitical, historical, and scientific archives of a learned aristocrat, a privileged witness of the end of the Ancien Régime, the French Revolution, the Consulate, Empire, and Restoration.
A unique fund of research on the implementation of a constitutional monarchy.

Autograph letter signed, addressed to his friend Pierre Louÿs from Toulon, 16 lines written in violet ink, expressing concern about a mutual friend nicknamed Augusto, almost certainly Auguste Gilbert de Voisins.

Folding crease from mailing, envelope enclosed. A handsome copy.

"Friday,

my dear friend, it's mail time. Quickly, quickly! I received your telegram this morning and have replied. Your opening words were very sweet to me. Thank you. I'm forwarding you a letter from Augusto. It frightened me terribly. I’ll telegraph you as soon as I know more. Yours with all my heart. C.B."

Rare collection of pamphlets printed in Toulon or Marseille, notably during the Restoration period, several of which implicate senior military figures of the First Empire.

The first item is: "Ordonnance du Roi, Portant règlement sur les Franchises du Port de Marseille et Suite de l'Ordonnance..." printed in Toulon, by Alx (sic) Curet, (1815), 16 pages, comprising an extract from the Moniteur of 24 February 1815.

Bound in half ivory vellum with corners, smooth spine, manuscript inscription in black ink to spine, blue pasteboards with some surface abrasions, contemporary binding.

Some foxing. A few nicks to the edges.

Bound in continuation:

1)...

A very rare first edition printed on blue paper (only four copies recorded in the CCFr: Aix-en-Provence (2), Angers and Avignon).

Not recorded in Monglond.

Contemporary flexible boards covered in blue marbled paper, speckled edges.

A few scuffs to the covers, spine restored.

With an additional pierced copper plate indicating units and fractions.

The author, a clerk in the Imperial Navy at Toulon, here sets out, in tabular form, a method enabling the rapid conversion of former units of measurement into the metric system, instituted in 1795 but still little used at the time.

The accompanying copper plate bears the engraved inscription: "Le...

Long autograph letter signed by Claude Farrère, approximately 160 lines in blue ink (8 pages on two double leaves), to his friend Pierre Louÿs thanking him notably for his thoughtfulness.
Traces of folds inherent to being placed in an envelope, envelope included.
Claude Farrère praises his friend's thoughtfulness towards him: "Thank you for your letter... not only because it is exquisite, - six times more than you can believe, - but much more because I know very well that you told it to me so as 'not to worry me...' as you say." and is amazed by the problems raised by these recent articles: "Said in parentheses, I am quite stunned by the one...

Rare first edition, limited to 50 copies.

A single copy recorded in the CCF (BnF).

Contemporary cream boards, smooth spine, the original printed front wrapper preserved and mounted on the upper cover.

Spine split, boards darkened, clean and pleasant internal condition.

The Toulon scholar Pons (1789–1836) is known both for his studies on the history of his native city and for his research in numismatics (a substantial portion of his posthumous manuscripts was devoted to this field).

On the title page, a signed autograph presentation inscription from Ange-Thomas-Zénon Pons to the celebrated archaeologist and epigraphist Jean-Antoine Letronne...