Contes théologiques, suivis des Litanies des catholiques du dix-huitième siècle, et de Poésies érotico-philosophiques, ou Recueil presque édifiant

First edition, quite rare.
Full light calf binding from early 20th century, handsome pastiche of a contemporary binding. Decorated raised spine. Triple fillet frame on boards. Red morocco title-label. Decorative gilt board-edges and roll on leading edges. 18th-century endpapers preserved. The lower margin of the title page, missing (the owner's name was removed), has been filled with modern paper. A hole in the lower right margin on pp. 301 and 302. An amusing old annotation (probably from the 18th century) in ink in the lower margin of the publisher's warning: "foutu sot".
Collection of satirical and erotic poetry attributed to a certain Busca (some pieces are by him), who, according to Barbier (Dict. des ouvrages anonymes) is the future general Pommereul, in Bonaparte's service. Many of the poems are signed Boufflers, Voltaire. The work is divided into three parts, as announced in the title. It includes several songs. Note that the theological tales are so called only because they feature monks and other church characters. The Catholic litanies are more than irreverent songs (litanies of saint geneviève...) that treat the church saints with extreme levity. Lovers of curiosa will appreciate the truly outrageous and rather incredible liberties of this collection which presents numerous unpublished pieces.