Discours sur l'origine et les fondements de l'inégalité parmi les hommes

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 Rousseau, 30 August 1755).

Dufour, Recherches bibliographiques sur les oeuvres imprimées de J.-J. Rousseau, n° 59, p. 58.

Manuscript ex-libris "Léon Gayet" to a free endpaper.