Memoirs, Biographies and Essays

New edition.
Small occasional foxing, otherwise a good copy.

The first edition dates from 1722, it was illustrated with 4 figures. This new edition is illustrated with 5 unsigned figures, taken from the original. All editions of this novel appear uncommon. The title page does not contain the author's name. The fashion for exotic stories added a first title which is not found in other editions, and which could cause this work to be confused with that of Claude-François Lambert: L'infortunée sicilienne, ou mémoires et aventures de la comtesse Carini (1743). Not in Cohen (Livres à fig. XVIIIe).
Contemporary full blonde calf binding. Smooth decorated spine. Red morocco title label, and brown calf volume label. Pleasant copy.
The novel begins with a brief history of Sicily which places its destiny under the sign of tragedy. Sicily is dominated by Spain when this story of multiple adventures begins, and whose model is still to be sought in Heliodorus and the Greek novels.

First edition for which there were no large paper copies.
Spine and covers slightly and marginally faded, internally good.

First edition of the French translation by Aignan.
Half red sheep bindings, smooth spines decorated with gilt Romantic ornaments showing some light rubbing, foot of spine of second volume browned, some corners slightly bumped, bookplates pasted to verso of front boards of volumes. Autograph inscription from a previous owner of the work to one of his friends.
Work illustrated with frontispiece engraved portrait of Aignan.
Some foxing.

First edition.
Half sheep binding with bronze coloring, smooth spine decorated with gilt fillets and friezes showing small stains and traces of rubbing.
Copy almost free from foxing.

First edition.
First university conference dedicated to Blaise Cendrars held at the University of Paris X on June 12 and 13, 1981.

First edition, one of 17 copies on Hollande, this one not justified, tirage de tête.
A very attractive copy.

First edition, one of 35 numbered copies on pur fil de Madagascar, tirage de tête.
Tiny foxings to the head, insignificant, edges preserved, a very good copy.

First edition of this doctoral thesis.
Light foxing mainly at the beginning of the volume.
Provenance: from the library of Pierre-Georges Castex, with his annotations on the endpaper and reading marks in the margins of some leaves.

First edition, of which there were no deluxe copies, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
Autograph inscription from the author to Noël B. de la Mort.

First edition.
Autograph inscription by the author, complete with its errata slip.

New revised and enlarged edition.
Half brown shagreen binding, spine with four raised bands enhanced with blind fillets, blind fillets and gilt typographical fleurons, edges tinted in chevron pattern, chevron-patterned marbled paper doublures and endpapers, period binding.
Bibliography at end.
Handsome copy attractively presented.

First edition for which there were no large paper copies.
One tear glued to head of spine.

Reprint conforming to the first edition.
Bradel binding in full navy blue cloth. Handsome copy.

Second edition.
Half navy blue shagreen binding, spine with four raised bands decorated with gilt floral motifs. About Guizot, L. Ratisbonne, M. de Falloux, poetry and poets in 1855, M. Brizeux, Maxime du Camp...
Handsome and interesting work.

First edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
About G. Sand, A. de Musset, C. Nodier, P. Mérimée among others.
Very slight lack at foot of spine.

Second edition, the first edition having appeared the previous year.
Contemporary limp vellum binding, unlettered spine. One tear to the vellum at foot, the sewing is somewhat loose. At the end of the work, 10 pages folded at the corner.
The book consists of a political tableau of Europe under Louis XIII tempered with examples borrowed from antiquity (one notices a curious table of contents). The author establishes therein the portrait of a prince endowed with all the qualities of the 17th-century honest man, whom some will designate as being a flattering portrait of Louis XIII. The work is reputed remarkable for the clarity of its language and the perfection of its eloquence. Tchemerzine, I, 359. The work was censored 3 years after its publication by the Sorbonne.
'This edition has undergone the cuts indicated by the faculty of the Sorbonne'. Brunet, I, 631

First collected edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Half dark green shagreen binding, spine slightly faded with five raised bands, covers preserved, top edge gilt.
Contributions by L. Tailhade, Sully-Prudhomme, V. Margueritte, L. Dierx among others.

First edition of this offprint from the issue of the Revue Générale of 15 March 1928, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Half navy blue shagreen binding, spine in two compartments, original wrappers preserved, top edge gilt.
Fine autograph inscription from the author to A. Godoy.
Handsome copy.

First edition on ordinary paper.
Affectionate autograph inscription from Raymond Queneau.
Contributions from L. Calaferte, R. Fallet, Y. Gibeau, among others.

Second edition.
Half chocolate sheep binding, smooth spine decorated with dotted lines and gilt fillets.
A dampstain affecting the first leaves, heavy foxing on the last pages, scattered foxing.

First edition.
Half bottle-green sheep binding, smooth spine decorated with quadruple gilt fillets, spine detached but present.
Freedom of conscience, freedom of the press, divorce, regicide, relations between the spiritual and temporal...

First edition, one of 150 numbered copies on Madagascar paper, deluxe copies after 50 Japan paper.
Handsome copy.

First edition, of which there were no deluxe copies, an advance copy.
Half raspberry cloth binding with corners, smooth spine, bordeaux shagreen title-label, covers and spine preserved.
Autograph inscription by the author to A. Godoy, handsome copy.
Concerning P.L Courier, Madame de Sévigné, Bossuet among others.

First edition.
Foxing, a rare copy with softcover, as issued.

New edition.
Half bottle-green shagreen binding, spine slightly faded with four raised bands decorated with elaborately gilt compartments, owner's name at foot, boards decorated with double gilt fillets.
Copy free from foxing.

New edition.
Bradel binding of half yellow cloth.

First edition. Rare. One copy at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France and one at Bristol in England, another in the catalogues of West Germany. A second edition appeared in 1675 with 2 new parts. 2 very handsome frontispieces
Later full vellum binding. 20th-century black title-label and endpapers. Light worming on the first 2 pages and the last 5. Scattered foxing.
Otto Aicher (1628-1705), Benedictine and professor, was an Austrian playwright, professor of rhetoric and grammarian, but also a historian. In this book he gathers epitaphs from all periods, notably of Roman emperors and kings, the whole constituting a theatre of death as epitaphs are like voices from beyond the grave, the epitaph being the last sign that the dead leave to posterity. Very interesting for measuring the relationship to death throughout history. Brunet I, 118.

First edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Work illustrated with a bust of R.M. Rilke by F. Huf.
Handsome copy.

First edition, a Service de Presse (advance) copy, only 72 deluxe copies were printed.
A repaired tear at foot of spine, another on one joint, otherwise a handsome copy.

First edition of this thesis presented for a university doctorate at the faculty of letters in Paris.
Autograph signature by the author on the title page.

First edition published in a small number of copies of this offprint.
Two manuscript corrections in the text, work illustrated with a plan of the Marais in the 17th century.
Small lacks to spine and boards.

Fifth French edition.
Work illustrated with 45 vignettes by Bayard.
Full red paper boards, smooth spine, arms of the city of Paris on front cover.
Some foxing.

First edition. Spine broken and reglued, copy free from foxing.

First edition, one of 74 numbered copies on alfa Djebel paper, deluxe copies after 26 special alfa Djebel.
About notably H. Bazin, R. Fallet, L. Calaferte, Y. Gibeau.
Handsome copy despite the spine slightly faded.

First edition.
Corner lacking affecting the first 5 pages without touching the text, some foxing and small marginal dampstains of no consequence.

First edition of which there is no mention of deluxe copies.
Half red shagreen binding, spine with four raised bands, contemporary binding.
Some very occasional foxing, otherwise a handsome copy.

First edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
With a note by Paul Valéry.

First edition published anonymously and generally attributed to Escoffier or to J. de Castelneau.
Spine faded, foxing, rare copy in its original wrappers.

First edition published anonymously and generally attributed to Escoffier or to J. de Castelneau.
Foxing, covers and spine lacking.
Rare.

First edition on ordinary paper.
Handsome autograph inscription from the author.
Spine slightly sunned.

First edition published from the autograph manuscript and printed in a small number of copies on laid paper.
Publisher's binding in full flexible red cardboard, smooth spine decorated with blind fillets, blind frames on boards, a significant stain on the front board and a few other small stains slightly affecting both boards without damage to the interior condition.

Third edition with some parts in first edition.
Bradel binding in full orange boards, smooth spine with a slight tear at head, navy blue shagreen title-label, corners slightly bumped. Work illustrated with an engraved frontispiece, foxing.
From the library of the Christian youth.

Rare first edition.
Half-shagreen binding in blue, spine with five raised bands decorated with gilt roulettes and floral motifs, traces of rubbing at head and foot, one corner slightly bumped.
Some light foxing, otherwise handsome interior condition.

First edition. Absent from the BN de France and French catalogues, one copy at the British Library and several in English catalogues. Le somnambule is on deluxe paper. Les nouveaux opuscules de Fleury are in first edition.
Half blue cloth binding from the first half of the 19th century. Corners slightly bumped.
French woman of letters (1737-1813), Countess Anne Marie Françoise de Beauharnais wrote novels, tales, plays and verse pieces, which are collected in this volume. Besides containing verse fables, les nouveaux opuscules de Feutry brings together a collection of texts on the birth and development of Castilian, Arab and Italian, Portuguese poetry of great interest. Biography of numerous Italian poets from the 14th century to the Renaissance.

First edition, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
Iconography.
Two manuscript corrections.

First edition in French.
About Tolstoy, Lomonosov, Derzhavin, Zhukovsky, Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol...
Minor spotting to boards, otherwise a handsome copy. Rare.

First edition in French, one of the numbered copies on laid paper.
Spine faded with some losses.
Our copy is from the library of Maurice Fombeure who wrote his name in ink as well as a chronological notation on the half-title page.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

Fourth edition.
Half brown sheep binding, smooth unlettered spine showing numerous signs of rubbing, a small lack at head of one joint, the other joint cracked at foot, title of the work inscribed in pen on the first cover, edges rubbed.
One engraved frontispiece.
Foxing, stains affecting pages 223 and 224.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

First edition, no mention of deluxe copies.
Worming and a tear at head of spine, small tears at head and foot of joints, angular lack to rear board, occasional light foxing.

Published before the first edition.
Softcover, as issued.
Occasional foxing.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

First edition. Illustrated with a frontispiece.
Full vellum binding with overlapping edges. Smooth spine with handwritten title. Endpapers renewed.
Important Greek-Latin dictionary. The German humanist E. Lubin (1565-1621) taught poetics at the University of Rostock from 1595 to 1605 before becoming professor of theology. Fine Elzevier edition in small type. Between 1620 and 1680, Elzevier production experienced a golden age of typography. The origin of small formats and small type (a technical feat at the time) lay in cost considerations, as printing was then in crisis.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

First edition on ordinary paper, false statement of third edition, service de presse stamp on the back cover.
Very slight corner spotting on the back cover.

First edition.
Spine sunned with a small tear at head, handsome condition internally.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

New edition containing all variants and a biographical notice by P.R. Auguis.
Frontispiece portrait of the author.
Spine and boards marginally and lightly faded, gift inscriptions from the same owner, some minor foxing.
Rare.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

First edition, one of rare copies on China paper of which there is no mention in the justification of the print run, nor in the 'Talvart', the 'Carteret' or the 'Clouzot'.
Spine cracked, faint marginal dampstain to edges.

First edition of which only 10 Holland deluxe copies were printed.
A small repaired tear at foot of spine, another marginal tear on front cover, otherwise handsome copy almost free of foxing.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

First edition.
Half red shagreen binding, spine with five raised bands showing minor rubbing, decorated with double blind-tooled compartments, joints very lightly rubbed, one upper corner slightly bumped, contemporary binding.
Autograph inscription from Aurélien Scholl to his friend Gustave Bourdin.
Some foxing.

First French edition. The first edition of the Italian text dates from 1607. Illustrated with two allegorical frontispieces signed Gr. Huret. Uncommon edition. One copy at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France from 1628, and another at the British Library. Nothing in French and English union catalogues.
Contemporary full vellum binding with overlapping edges. Smooth spine with manuscript title partly illegible. Traces of ties. Scattered pale foxing.
Antonio Maria Spelta (1559-1632) was a writer, scholar and historian from Padua, and it was while recalling Erasmus's Praise of Folly that he wrote this collection composed partly of reflections on madness, and partly on various subjects ranging from astrologers to hunters, including historical anecdotes. The first part tends more towards an eulogy of folly, despite the ever-present satire, while the second part presents a tableau of men and professions prey to madness, whimsy and vanity. Spelta's alert and biting pen perfectly captures the portrait of folly in its every guise. A singular work.

First edition, one of 35 numbered copies on Ingres, the only large paper copies.
Illustrations by the author.
A good and rare copy with good margins.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

First edition, one of 350 numbered copies on laid paper, the only issue with 10 on China paper.
A small tear at head of spine, pen ex-libris at head of first cover, a tiny corner loss to first cover, fine interior condition.
Rare.

First edition, printed in a small number of copies.
With a frontispiece portrait of J.M. Audin by A. Salmon. Slight spotting on the upper cover, small scattered foxing.
Rare.

Second edition for the two first volumes and first edition for the third one.
Contemporary half calf Romantic bindings, spines slightly faded, joints rubbed, foxing.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

First edition.
Plain paper cover.
Rare.

First edition printed in 201 copies, ours one of 140 numbered copies justified by the publisher on white laid paper.
Spine slightly warped and rubbed with a small lack at foot, handsome interior condition.
Rare.

First edition.
Inscription from Maurice Escoffier, the dedicatee's name has been skillfully erased.
Small tears and lacks at foot and head of spine, covers very slightly and marginally faded without consequence, handsome interior condition.

First edition not put into commerce and printed in a small number of copies on laid paper.
Autograph inscription by the author. Work illustrated with drawings by Töpffer and Raffet.
Some rare small wormholes without consequence, handsome copy.

New edition printed in 300 copies, ours one of 100 numbered copies on Rives paper.
Work illustrated with woodcuts by Thollière.
Handsome copy.