Nouvelles oeuvres meslées

First edition of this collection, which contains maxims by La Rochefoucauld in interesting variants. Illustrated with a medallion portrait by Edelinck.
Contemporary full glazed fawn calf binding. Richly decorated raised spine. Red morocco title label. Despite some wormholes, fine contemporary binding. Corner dampstain to a few leaves. Some pages yellowed.
Charles Marguetel de Saint-Denis, seigneur de Saint-Évremond (1614-1703), was a moralist and libertine critic, his rigor and critical independence foreshadowed the Enlightenment philosophers, and he was perhaps the first author to make criticism a profession. He cared little for his writings which circulated mainly in manuscript during his lifetime. This edition, which gathers various pieces by the author, including numerous letters, is due to abbé de Raguenet, who completed the collection with maxims by La Rochefoucauld (pp. 208-271), a piece by La Fontaine, a letter by Corneille... Saint-Évremond's literary success led writers to attribute numerous works to him, such as these maxims by La Rochefoucauld, significantly different from recent editions by the same author