Incunabula, editio princeps and first editions of major works from 15th to 18th century

Set of 52 original plates, etched and enhanced with watercolours at the time, numbered 1 to 52, mounted in pairs under mats.
 
Leaves in red half calf slipcase (early 20th century), red shagreen boards.
The plates vary in size (10.8 x 17.6 cm to 28.1 x 18.8 cm) and paper stock, as was often the case with La Mésangère's publications. Unbound engraved title on a bifolium, printed separately, absent from most copies. It is replaced here by its identical reprint by Gosselin (1893-1903), on antique watermarked paper and bears the publisher's 'G' mark, characteristic of this reprint a century later. All the plates, however, are in their first edition, without the G...

A unique combination of French translations of the first two philosophical works on the Sublime, marking the beginning of the most important reflection on aesthetics in Western history.
Extremely rare first edition of the first French translation of a philosophical work by Immanuel Kant, and the second ever translation of a Kantian text. The others were only translated during the 19th century. Illustrated with a portrait of the author by Benezy. The first edition in German was published in 1764 in Königsberg under the title "Beobachtungen über das Gefühl des Schönen und Erhabenen".
Contemporary half brown roan binding with vellum corners, smooth...

To make the strength of marriage consist in that of love is to go so far as to misunderstand the spirit of this institution.

"Vous avez été leurs maîtres, et vous en avez mal agi ; ils sont devenus les vôtres, et ils vous pardonnent ; faites vos réflexions là-dessus." ["You have been their masters, and you have acted badly; they have become yours, and they forgive you; reflect upon this."] (Trivelin, final scene)

First edition of the French translation. First published in English in 1712 under the title A cruising voyage round the world. Illustrated with 2 engraved titles, 14 engraved plates and 7 maps including 2 large format (Paraguay and Chile - mainland Peru and Brazil and the Land of the Amazons) and a world map.
Bound in full brown sprinkled calf, spine elaborately gilt, gilt roulettes on the edges, all red speckled edges. Expertly restored (corners, upper and lower part of joints). Two small restored tears on the world map, not affecting the image.
Ex-libris in ink "Sr Remy" to the upper left margin of the title-page.
A tear to the world map, not affecting the...

Chez Théodore Le Gras, à Paris 1728, 12° (9,5x17cm), (2 p.) xvij (7 p.) 346 pp.; (2 p.) ij 376 pp.; (2 p.) ij 387 pp.; (6 p.) 392 pp.; (6 p.) 404 pp., 5 volumes bound.
First edition of this famous description of West Africa.
78 full-page engraved plates:
- volume 1: 5 maps, 2 plates and 1 folding plan
- volume 2: 6 maps, 17 plates and 4 folding plans
- volume 3: 2 maps and 13 plates
- volume 4: 5 maps, 8 plates and 3 folding plans
- volume 5: 3 maps and 9 plates
First edition of this famous description of West Africa. Illustrated with 78 full-page engraved plates.
Contemporary beige calf, spine elaborately gilt, 19th century red leather...

First edition, with 18 engraved maps et 5 folding engraved plates.
Contemporary tan calf, skillfully restored tear to the first folding map, some marginal restorations to the map “Troisième division - Archipel des navigateurs”. Falkland Islands map expertly rebacked on the outer margin as well as the Magellan Strait map. Map of the Buton Strait with a small marginal tear and a second restored with a strip of paper.
Bougainville undertook the first official French circumnavigation and scientific expedition. Starting from Nantes in November 1766, he sailed to the Falklands, made a stopover in Buenos Aires and then crossed the Magellan Strait and the...

First edition.
Contemporary full marbled and polished brown calf binding. Spine richly gilt in compartments with raised bands, gilt roll tooling at head- and tailbands. Red morocco title labels, tan morocco volume labels. Headcaps of volumes I and V worn; headcap of volume VI torn off. Upper joint of volume I split at foot. Fourteen corners rubbed. Occasional minor foxing, heavier browning to endpapers and half-titles.

First edition of the French translation by Mlle Saubry: the first English edition appeared on the same date.
Bradel bindings in full navy blue boards. Smooth spines decorated with fillets, roulette at tail. Gilt titles and volume labels. Spines uniformly darkened. Signs of rubbing to headcaps and corners and edges. Pale scattered foxing on laid paper that has remained fresh. In volume III, leaf 91 detached.
The work was established by the author from her own journal written during the years 1819 and 1820. The journey begins with the Alps, then through Piedmont, Lombardy, Genoa, Piacenza, Parma, Bologna, Modena, Tuscany, Rome, Naples and Venice. Beyond being a classic narrative...

Rare first edition, complete with the folding plate depicting the stove bound at the end. "First collected edition of these various reports concerning charitable institutions built following the model of the famous 'Rumford stoves'" (Oberlé).
Contemporary binding in half blond sheep, spine elaborately decorated in gilt with fillets and tools in the shape of stars and leaves, and with a red morocco title label; marbled paper boards, all edges yellow. The front flyleaf bears bibliographical notes in pencil concerning the authors of the collection.

The rather rare first collected edition of these various works.

Contemporary binding in full marbled and glazed sheep. Decorated smooth spine. Havana morocco title and volume labels. Lacks to joints at head of volume I. Lack to upper joint at head of volume II and lacks at foot. Upper joint split at foot of volume II. Rubbing to joints, headcaps, edges and corners.
This edition contains Don Quixote moderne, L'Homère travestie ou L'Iliade en vers burlesques, L'éducation d'un prince, La voiture embourbée, Le miroir, Refléxions sur l'esprit humain, etc...

Rare first edition, illustrated with an engraved title page and 51 emblems by Adriaen van der Venne, engraved by Wil. Passe, J. Gelle, Cri. Blon, A. Poel and J.S. [Swelinck]. A reprint was issued in 1661; this first edition circulated only among a privileged elite and was not made available to the general public.
Late 18th- or early 19th-century caramel calf-backed binding with small corners. Spine with raised bands and gilt fillets. Brown morocco title label. Upper joint split at head and tail. Some rubbing. Margin of p. 108 restored over 6 cm. A few faint spots of foxing.

First edition of this complete collection, including the portrait of Cochin as frontispiece. Some of the memoirs had appeared in 1773, but the collected edition that brings them all together is indeed dated 1774; certain pieces are dated 1773 as they were added after the title page bearing the 1774 date. Although the pagination varies, the collection contains only one general title page; some memoirs have half-titles, others do not.
Contents of the collection: Mémoires de M. Caron de Beaumarchais contre M. Goezman, Supplément au mémoire à consulter, Addition au Supplément du mémoire à consulter, Requeste d'atténuation pour le Sr Caron de Beaumarchais...

First edition, illustrated with an allegorical frontispiece by Dubois and 21 engraved plates by Azélie Hubert after Julie Ribault, depicting blind individuals engaged in various activities and the tools used for their education. On the verso of the front free endpaper, a manuscript note referencing the life of Saint Jerome by Colombey, concerning the life of a blind philosopher.

Pastiche Bradel-style binding in waxed, speckled beige paper, typical of the period. Contemporary brown sheepskin title label. Untrimmed copy, with full margins. From p. 190 onward, a faint angular water stain appears and continues through to p. 204; otherwise, a clean and bright copy.

Rare first edition. Published in Avignon according to Barbier; however, J.-P. Perret records it as printed in Yverdon.
Contemporary full marbled and polished calf. Smooth spine gilt-tooled. Tobacco-colored morocco labels for title and volume numbers. Lacking head of volume I. Upper joint of volume II split at head. Volume number label on volume I rubbed. Two bumped corners on volume I. In volume II, faint waterstain from title page to p. 60. Otherwise, a clean and well-preserved copy. A good example overall.

Rare first edition decorated with ornamental headpieces, letterheads and culs-de-lampe.

Posterior binding in full red morocco, Jansenist spine, gilt date at the foot, marbled endpapers, frame of gilt roll-tooling on the pastedown endpapers, all edges gilt.
A very beautiful copy of one of the most famous plays in the French repertoire. It was played for the first time on 13 December 1669 at the Hôtel de Bourgogne and received a mixed reception. At the head of this edition is a preface by the playwright responding to his critics:

“Of all the works that I have given to the public, there is none
that attracted more applause and nor...

First edition, rare, illustrated with 5 folding plates at the end.
Contemporary full marbled brown calf binding. Spine with raised bands, gilt tooling. Beige morocco title-piece. One corner trimmed, the others rubbed. A tiny 2 mm tear at head of spine. A small worm gallery in the lower margin from the title-page to p. 24, slight at the beginning, widening and then fading out. A good, rather clean copy.
Red stamp on half-title and title-page, with the arms: Bibliothèque Chapuys-Montlaville

Very rare first edition for Le Gouté des porcherons, with the complete title Nouv. ed. augm. des Citrons de Javotte, histoire de carnaval. Et enrichie d'une Lettre amoureuse de M. Jambe de Creux, charbonnier à mademoiselle Catau, ravaudeuse. Le tout pour servir de Dessert au Déjeuner de La Rapée.
Third edition of La Pipe cassée and fourth for Bouquets poissards and Bouquets galants.
Contemporary half-sheep binding, smooth spine decorated with gilt fillets and a blonde sheep title-label, paste-paper boards. Some rubbing and minimal paper lacks to boards. First leaves somewhat stained without gravity.
Les Porcherons is a former district of the...

First edition, posthumous, printed on Holland paper.
Contemporary full marbled brown calf binding, spine in compartments richly decorated, red morocco title label, black morocco volume label, a small loss to the lower joint at the foot, rubbing marks, surface abrasions to the upper cover with a small loss of leather, one corner bumped, marginal loss to the right corner on pages 247 and 257.

Paper generally fresh. This copy has been bound as a single volume, following the 1772 edition of Diderot’s Works in 6 volumes (Volume VI, II).

A good copy.
The introductory text, à la mémoire de Diderot, is by Jakob-Heinrich Meister, a friend of Necker and successor...

First edition published by Antoine Le Bouc in 1642 and later reissued for sale in 1684, with a cancel slip pasted over the original imprint, bearing the updated address of Antoine Vuarin. This intriguing bibliographical feature suggests that a portion of the original printing remained unsold. Notably, the work was never reprinted. Epistle addressed to Cardinal Richelieu.
Fine allegorical frontispiece by Avice. The illustrations include a genealogical chart of the House of Orléans; two genealogical tables of the House of Luxembourg; four plates demonstrating the Marquis de Gesvre's descent from Charlemagne; a plate detailing the quarterings of the Marquis de Noirmoustier's arms; a...

First edition. 2 volumes were added by the publisher in 1807 that the author had removed from the first edition as a precaution. Indeed, the 4 volumes of the first edition attracted severe criticism of the author because certain authors were still living, and Laharpe did not publish the following 2 out of consideration or prudence.

Contemporary full brown sheep binding. Smooth spine decorated with 2 fleurons and 2 urn stamps and roulettes. Owner's name at foot: J. Aubert. Title label and volume label in fawn calf. Garland frame on boards. Overall rubbed. 4 corners slightly bumped.
This literary correspondence, composed in the manner of Grimm's, is a series of...

First edition.

Armorial copy of the Dukes of Luynes, at this date, most certainly of Marie Charles Louis d'Albert de Luynes, 5th Duke of Luynes. Armorial copies of the Luynes always bear only the heraldic device of the crowned lion on the spine in the 18th century.
Full glazed and marbled brown calf binding. Spine with raised bands decorated with the heraldic device of the Dukes of Luynes, with crowned lion. Red morocco title and volume labels. Small crack to lower joint at head of volume II. On the lower joint of volume 3, crack along one compartment for 2cm. In volume IV, small cracks to joints at foot, for a few millimeters. P.403, volume II, hole with loss of...

French first edition, translated by Baron d'Holbach.

Contemporary full brown glazed and marbled calf binding. Smooth spine decorated. Garnet morocco title label. Headcaps, joints, edges and corners restored. Browning to margins of title page.
Bookplate, Library of Henri Tardivi.
Major work by the German chemist Stahl, who developed the famous phlogistic theory, which dominated chemistry until the end of the 18th century. Stahl himself had borrowed the notion from his master Becker. Although this theory was invalidated by Lavoisier, it was very important because for the first time in history, a principle unified all of chemistry. In his theory of salts, the...

First editions of these 8 edicts, details as follows:
1. Edit du roy portant creation des greffiers des Insinuations ecclésiastiques du mois de decembre 1691. (begins at leaf Aij, without title page or half-title)... 8vo (13x20.5cm)
2. Edit du roy portant creation  de quatre cent greffiers des domaines de gens de main-morte. Chez Estienne Michallet, 1692. 4to (18x23.5cm).
3. Edit du roy portant creation de notaires royaux & apostoliques. Donné à Versailles au mois de decembre 1691.
4. Edit du roy portant creation d'oeconomes sequestres dans tous les dioceses du royaume. Donné à Versailles au mois de decembre 1691. Chez Guillaume Deprez. 1692. 4to (17.5x25cm).
5. Arrest du...

First edition.
Contemporary full brown sheep binding. Smooth spine richly decorated with ornamental tools and roulettes. Red morocco title and volume labels. The title label reads "Memoire de Torcy" while the title page is anonymous, so the author of these anonymous memoirs must have been well known at the time. Light rubbing. The half-titles of volumes II and III are not present, as in all copies we have consulted, so it is possible that they are not actually missing, and that there was only one half-title for the entire work. Very handsome copy, very fresh.
Armorial bookplate engraved in the 18th century of Louis Francois (1713-1791), Marquis de Monteynard (Languedoc), First...

First edition of one of the most beautiful books of the 18^th century, of which the text and the music are entirely engraved. It is illustrated with an engraved title, 3 frontispieces by Le Bouteux and Le Barbier, a dedication page with the Dauphine arms, and 100 figures by Moreau le Jeune, Le Barbier, Le Bouteux and Saint-Quentin, finely engraved in copperplate by Masquelier and Née. The portrait of Laborde, which can be found on some copies, is not part of this edition and was printed in 1774, separately.

Magnificent copy bound in 4 volumes, very rare condition. There are usually only copies with 2 volumes for understandable cost issues. It is...