874 Ergebnisse
Best.-Nr. 15912Paris: Delangle Freres Incomplete set. 39 of 97 volumes. Written in French. First editions. 1825-1834. 8vo 8 1/2" tall. Uniform dark red cloth binding stamped in gilt on spine. Orange page edges. Includes: Tome 1- "Biographie" 1828 487 pages; Tome 26 & 27 - "Siecle de Louis XIV" 1827 484 pages & 502 pages; Tome 28 - "Siecle of Louis XV" 1827 400 pages; Tome 30 - "Histoire de Charles XII" 1827 537 pages; Tome 31 - "Histoire de Russie" 1827 505 pages; Tomes 32-33 - "Annales de l'empire" 1827 426 and 412 pages; Tomes 35-36 - "Melanges Historiques" 1827 416 and 471 pages. Tomes 68-95 - "Correspondance" 1827-1832 Complete correspondence volumes 1-28. Ex-college library with bookplates and a few marks otherwise beautiful tight sharp and bright without wear. Very clean with a few widely scattered fox spots due to its age. Excellent. Delangle Freres hardcover
1820Best.-Nr. 801014Paris: E.A. Lequien 1820-1826. leather_bound. stark abgenutzt. Zusammen ca. 35000 Seiten. Ganzleder der Zeit mit Gold- und Blindprägung auf Rücken und Deckeln Stehkanten mit Goldprägung Innenkanten mit Blindprägung marmoriertem Schnitt und Vorsätzen aus Marmorpapier nur wenig berieben und bestoßen Bände 18 23 35 39 40 42 50 54 68 mit kleinen Fehlstellen im Leder nur wenig störend Gelenke vereinzelt mit kleinen Einrissen bzw. restaurierten Einrissen innen nur wenig gebräunt bzw. stockfleckig im Ganzen gute wohlerhaltene Exemplare. - Schönes dekoratives Exemplar der bei P. Didot L'Aisne gedruckten Ausgabe die aufgestellt eine Länge von 220 cm beansprucht. Inhalt der Bände: Bd. 1: Elogen u.a. von Friedrich II. König von Preussen "Vie de Voltaire" von Condorcet; Bd. 2-9: Theatre; Bd. 10: La Henriade; Bd. 11: La Pucelle d'Orleans; Bd. 12-14: Poesies; Bd. 15-18: Essai sur les Moeurs; Bd. 19-20: Siècle de Louis XIV; Bd. 21: Siècle de Louis XV; Bd. 22: Histoire de Charles XII; Bd. 23: Histoire de Russie; Bd. 24: Annales de L'Empire; Bd. 25: Histoire du Parlement; Bd. 26-27: Melanges Historiques; Bd. 28-29: Politique et Législation; Bd. 30: Physique; Bd. 31-34: Philosophie; Bd. 35: Dialogues et Entretiens Philosophiques; Bd. 36-42: Dictionaire Philosophique; Bd. 43-44: Romans; Bd. 45: Facéties; Bd. 46-47: Mélanges Littéraires; Bd. 48-49: Commentaires sur Corneille; Bd. 50-52: Correspondance avec le Roi de Prusse; Bd. 53: Correspondance avec l'Imperatrice de Russie etc.; Bd. 54-55: Correspondance avec d'Alembert; Bd. 56-69: Correspondance générale; Bd. 70: Table analytique des Oeuvres de Voltaire composée par J.B.J. Champagnac. Orientiert sich hinsichtlich der Bandeinteilung nicht aber hinsichtlioch der Numerierung und der Reihenfolge der Werkgruppen an der Ausgabe Kehl. - Bengesco IV 2153 - Vicaire VII Sp. 1137. - Weitere Bilder auf Anfrage oder auf unserer Homepage. Wegen Urlaub kann Ihre Bestellung / Anfrage erst nach dem 12.10.2026 bearbeitet werden. - Because of holidays your order / question can be handled only after 10/12/2026. E.A. Lequien hardcover
Best.-Nr. 88984105 Huit volumes in-4° (208 x 257 mm). Volume I: [8]+572 pages, 1 frontispice et 4 planches; contenu: Avertissement du commentateur sur cette nouvelle édition, A Messieurs de l'Académie française, Médée, Le Cid, Cinna, Jules César. Volume II: [2]+526 pages, 4 planches; contenu: Horace, Polyeucte, Le Menteur. Volume III: [2]+536 pages, 4 planches; contenu: Pompée , Théodore, Rodogune, Andromède. Volume IV: [2]+581 pages, 4 planches; contenu: Héraclius, de Calderón, Héraclius Empereur d'Orient, Don Sanche d'Aragon, Nicomède, Pertharite. Volume V: [2]+510 pages, 4 planches; contenu dipe, La Toison d'Or, Sertorius, Sophonisbe. Volume VI: [2]+607+[1bl]+[2] pages, 4 planches; contenu: Othon, Agésilas, Attila, Bérénice, tragédie de Racine, Bérénice, comédie héroïque de Corneille, Pulchérie. Volume VII: [2]+636+[2] pages, 6 planches; contenu: Suréna, Ariane, tragédie de Thomas Corneille, Le Comte d'Essex, de Thomas Corneille, Mélite, Clitandre, La Veuve. Volume VIII: 520+[2] pages, 4 planches; contenu: La Galerie du Palais, La Suivante, La Place royale, L'Illusion comique, trois discours, Vie de Pierre Corneille par Bernard de Fontenelle, réponse de l'éditeur à un détracteur de Corneille, discours de Pierre Corneille à sa réception à l'Académie française. Belles reliures de lépoque en plein veau marbré, double filet doré sur les coupes, dos à nerfs ornés, pièces de titre en maroquin rouge et de tomaison en maroquin vert, tranches rouges. Ex-libris rectangulaire au contreplat du 1er volume : « André Gutzwiller » (Paris, 1922-Arlesheim, 2014), banquier et bibliophile bâlois.
1719Best.-Nr. 44635A Paris, chez Pierre Ribou, Pierre Huet, Jean Mazuel, Antoine-Urbain Coustelier, 1719. In-8 de (8)-131 pp.12 pièces en un volume in-8, veau granité, dos orné, tranches rouges (reliure de l'époque).
Best.-Nr. 17041De l'Imprimerie de la Société Littéraire Typographique en 1785 jusqu'en 1820.(dite petite édition de Kehl). 92 volumes in-12 en veau raciné de l'époque avec double pièce de titre et de tomaison. Reliure uniforme .Gravures de Deveria, Choquet,Chasselat..Rare édition complète . Etat correct en reliure d'époque. Certaines coiffes absentes.Qques rousseurs.
1753Best.-Nr. 10636, , 1753-1767. 13 pièces reliées en 1 vol. in-12, veau havane marbré, dos orné à nerfs, pièces de titre en maroquin rouge, tranches rouges (reliure de l'époque).
Best.-Nr. LCS-186410L’une des plus rares de Voltaire. Amsterdam, chez Changuion, [Genève, Cramer], 1765. In-8 de (1) f., viii-336pp., (1) f. d'errata. Veau moucheté glacé, dos à nerfs, pièce de titre de maroquin vieux rouge, filet or sur les coupes, tranches rouges. Reliure de l'époque. 190 x 115 mm.
1789Best.-Nr. 000012023Paris: La Société Littéraire-Typographique 1789. First edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 70 vol. 8vo. Please inquire if you require any pagination information. Contemporary full calf spines in six and a half compartments each with a red and a green morocco label lettered in gilt; several edges decoratively stained yellow. With 104 of the 122 recorded plates Cohen-DeRicci calls for 122 plates volume one is missing the tableau the folding plate and the dedication plate. Due to the vagaries of hand-press-era binding and to the large size of the set it is difficult to determine which of the other 16 plates are the ones missing. The plates present depict Voltaire scenes from his plays and several fascinating figures from European History including of course Enlightenment-era figures. All other half-titles present see condition statement. Bengesco 2142. Brunet 681. Cohen-DeRicci 1042-1047. This edition is the set most lauded for its completeness and beautiful typography. Baskerville's type was purchased to produce this sizeable set of Voltaire's writings. The later editions of Voltaire's works are said to be based on this edition. Voltaire's career was nothing short of prolific as demonstrated by these 70 volumes. With a biting wit and a clever pen the philosophe lampooned Leibniz wrote countless plays and historical dramas and corresponded with his fellow Enlightenment-era intellectuals. He walked the line of philosopher and literary figure and made great contributions to science in his translation of Newton's writings into French. He was a champion not only of the natural sciences but of liberty and of personal pleasure. Voltaire dreamed that European society would and could move forward away from tyrannical monarchies towards a more sophisticated and benevolent system of governance. He stands out as one of the most popular and influential figures of the Enlightenment era. Volume 37 lacks its free front endpaper a few leaves in the volumes have an occasional dampspot volume 43 lacks leaf CC8 and its half-title. La Société Littéraire-Typographique hardcover
1768Best.-Nr. 9785Genève, [Cramer], 1768-1777. 29 volumes grand in-4, demi-veau blond à coins, dos à 5 nerfs ornés de filets, roulettes, titre, sous-titre et paniers de fleurs surmontés d'un joli chapeau, le tout doré. 23 volumes avec étiquettes de titre rouges et de sous-titre et tomaison caramel, 6 volumes avec étiquettes de titre caramel et de sous-titre et tomaison vertes, plats de joli papier marbré. Non rognés.
1738Best.-Nr. 5783A Amsterdam, chez Etienne Ledet & Compagnie, 1738. In-8 de 1 frontispice gravé, 2 portraits, (6)-XII-(2)-399-(1)-(400 à) 410-(6) pp., veau brun, dos orné à nerfs, pièce de titre en maroquin rouge (reliure de l'époque).
1828Best.-Nr. 96178Paris: Deslangle Frères 1828-34. Finely bound set of the complete works of Voltaire with historic scientific and literary notes. Octavo 97 volumes bound in three quarters morocco over marbled boards gilt titles and tooling to the spine in five compartments within raised gilt bands marbled endpapers frontispieces with tissues guards and half titles as issued. In very good condition. A complete set covering the broad scope of the versatile and prolific writer. One of the most influential thinkers of the French Enlightenment François-Marie Arouet know by the nom de plum Voltaire was a resourceful and prolific writer. His works touched nearly every literary form including plays poems novels theoretical essays and scientific treatises. A forthright and candid advocate of civil liberties he frequently criticized the institutions of religious dogma and classism prevalent in 18th century France often doing so through satire to avoid censorship and imprisonment. Deslangle Frères hardcover
1784Best.-Nr. 39990Kehl, De l'Imprimerie de la Société littéraire-typographique, 1784-1789. 70 volumes in-8, demi-veau vert, dos lisses très ornés de fleurons, palmes et palettes, pièces de titre et de tomaison en maroquin rouge (reliure de l'époque).
1733Best.-Nr. 60085London C. Davis and A. Lyon 1733. 8vo. Lovely contemporary full Cambridge-style binding with five raised bands to spine and blindstamped ornamental borders to boards. . Double gilt line-borders to boards. All edges of boards with gilt borders. Gilt title to spine. Hinges neatly and professionally re-inforced. Internally very nice clean and fresh. A lovely crisp and large copy with good margins printed on heavy fine paper. 16 -including preface contents advertisements 253 1 18 -Index pp. The important actual first edition of this highly celebrated key work of the Enlightenment in which the anecdote of how Newton discovered gravity the story about Newton and the falling apple appeared for the first time together with the description of the difference between the physical world view of the English and the French the "plenum" and the "vacuum". This seminal work in which Voltaire famously depicts British philosophy science society and culture in comparison to French can be viewed as the Enlightenment equivalent to Tocqueville's "Democracy in America". This series of essays which is based on Voltaire's experiences when living in England was actually written by Voltaire mostly in English which he mastered to perfection. It has often been presumed that the first edition of the work was that published in French in 1734 but actually the present English edition constitutes the actual first appearance of the work as well as the version that is closest to Voltaire's intention as the French language version is the re-written one and the English version the original. Curiously almost all modern English versions are translations into English of the French edition instead of the original English version making this edition of the utmost importance.After the original English edition of 1733 two French editions soon followed the first in 1734. Unlike the British the French resented the book and already in 1734 the French Parliament issued an order for the author's arrest and condemned the work causing the impact of it in France to be delayed. The book was burned for being "dangerous to religion and civil order". At the same time the work became a bestseller in Britain and as much as 14 editions of the work were published in the eighteenth century. "Inspired by Voltaire's two-year stay in England 1726-8 this is one of the key works of the Enlightenment. Exactly contemporary with Gulliver's Travels and The Beggar's Opera Voltaire's controversial pronouncements on politics philosophy religion and literature have placed the Letters among the great Augustan satires. Voltaire wrote most of the book in English in which he was fluent and witty and it fast became a bestseller in Britain. He re-wrote it in French as the Lettres philosophiques and current editions in English translate his French." Nicholas Cronk Introduction to the Oxford's Classics edition from 1999.The great French philosopher Voltaire was greatly impressed by the philosophical and scientific achievements of the English especially those of Newton Locke and Bacon. As a disseminator of scientific knowledge Voltaire came to play a great rôle in the popularization of Newtonian science and its discoveries the present work being a prime example. Although the work was condemned by the French authorities it still came to play a great rôle in the spreading of Newtonian ideas in France. The present work generally came to play a dominant rôle in Enlightenment accounts of the history of science and philosophy. The work focuses on British science and thought and uses the accounts of these to emphasize what is lacking in French society and French thought. The work is generally very critical towards the French "ancient régime" and when Voltaire here discusses the emergence of empiricism it is viewed as an English tradition that stands in opposition to the French rationalist tradition with Descartes as the prime example. This view is taken over by the following Enlightenment historians of science and philosophy e.g. d'Alembert see for instance his "Preliminary Discourse" of 1751. Some of the most influential passages of the work are probably those on Bacon who Voltaire sees as the founder of modern experimental science Newton and Descartes. Letters XIV on Descartes and Newton XV on attraction and XVI on Newton's Optics from 1704 are among the most influential essays of the work. In XVI Voltaire reflects upon Newton's "Optics" and the way that he rejected Descartes' theory and set out his own account of the properties of light. In XV he presents the first account of Newton and the falling apple: "As he was walking one Day in his Garden and saw some Fruits fall from a Tree he fell into profound Meditation on that Gravity the Cause of which had so long been sought but in vain by all the Philosophers whilst the Vulgar think there is nothing mysterious in it. He said to himself that from what height soever in our Hemisphere those Bodies might descend their Fall wou'd certainly be in the Progression discover'd by Galileo; and the Spaces they run thro' would be as the Square of the Times. Why may not this Power which causes heavy Bodies to descend and is the fame without any sensible Diminution at the remotest Distance from the Center of the Earth or on the Summits of the highest Mountains; Why said Sir Isaac may not this Power extend as high as the Moon." pp. 127-28.But perhaps the most famous passage in the volume is the opening of Letter XIV: "A Frenchman who arrives in London will find Philosophy like every Thing else very much chang'd there. He had left the World a "plenum" and he now finds it a "vacuum". At Paris the Universe is seen compos'd of Vortices of subtile Matter; but nothing like it is seen in London. In France 'tis the Pressure of the Moon that causes the Tides; but in England 'tis the Sea that gravitates towards the Moon; so that when you think that the Moon should make it Flood with us those Gentlemen fancy it should be Ebb which very unluckily cannot be prov'd." pp. 109-10. hardcover
Best.-Nr. LCS-18383Luxueux exemplaire, l’un des 20 imprimés sur papier de Chine contenant la suite des eaux-fortes en double état. Paris, Librairie des Bibliophiles, rue Saint-Honoré, 1878. 7 tomes en 5 volumes grand in-8 ornés d’un portrait et de 11 eaux-fortes, l’ensemble en double-état, avant et avec la lettre. Maroquin rouge, triple filet encadrant les plats, dos à nerfs, double filet sur les coupes, tranches dorés. Reliure signée Chambolle-Duru. 214 x 130 mm.
Best.-Nr. LCS-18572Précieux exemplaire à marges immenses (hauteur 175 mm) des bibliothèques Lurde et Ruble. Louvain (Francfort?), 1755. Petit in-8 de (2) ff., 161 pp. Plein maroquin citron, chiffre doré dans les angles des plats, dos à nerfs orné du même chiffre doré et répété, double filet or sur les coupes, roulette dorée intérieure, tranches dorées. Motte. 175 x 105 mm.
1785Best.-Nr. 88781785 [Kehl], de limprimerie de la Société Typographique, 1785 1789. 70 volumes grand in-8° (175 x 270 mm). Exemplaire dexception sur très grand papier vélin de la fameuse édition de Voltaire financée par Beaumarchais, comportant dune part lillustration destinée aux tirages de luxe de cette édition (soit 93 planches de Jean-Michel Moreau le jeune, 12 portraits, 14 planches de physique, 1 plan, 1tableau des oeuvres de Voltaire), plus un large supplément dillustrations destinées à lédition Renouard des Oeuvres de Voltaire en 66 volumes in-8° publiée entre 1819 et 1825. Louvrage contient ainsi un total de 196 planches hors texte, soit : 113 figures de Moreau le jeune (44 pour le Théâtre, volumes 1 9; 10 pour la Henriade, volume 10; 21 pour la Pucelle dOrléans, volume 11; 6 pour les Contes en vers, volume 14; 2 pour le Siècle de Louis XIV, volumes 20 et 21; 1 pour le Siècle de Louis XV, volume 22; 1 pour lHistoire de Charles XII, volume 23; 1 pour lHistoire de Russie, volume 24; 27 pour les Romans et Contes, volumes 44 et 45); 67 portraits (33 gravés par Augustin de Saint-Aubin et 34 de graveurs divers dont Renouard possédait les cuivres); 14 planches de physique (volume 31) ; 1 plan («Camp des Tartares», volume 24 ); 1 tableau dépliant des oeuvres de Voltaire, volume 70). Impressionnantes reliures en demi-basane maroquinée bordeaux à coins, plats de papier rouge, dos lisse ornés, tranches ébarbées. Datant des environs de 1825 1830, elles sont signées (au dos du volume I): «Rel[ié] p[ar] les Dl[l]es Cotty». On ignore tout de ces personnes, dont on peut seulement supposer quelles étaient apparentées à Jean-Etienne Cotty, relieur actif à Paris de 1776 à 1820, que «Lesné [...] place parmi les bons relieurs de second ordre de son temps» (Thoinan, Les Relieurs français, page 234). Bas de la charnière inférieure du volume 11 fendu sur la moitié de sa longueur, quelques coiffes frottées, coins çà et là un peu émoussés, mais dans lensemble la collection est dans un état absolument désirable. Etiquettes collées aux premiers contreplats: «Louvard, libraire, rue du Bac, no 78»; ex-libris illustré: «André Gutzwiller» (1922 2014), banquier et bibliophile bâlois.
1893Best.-Nr. ST17884Paris: Imprimé pour Les Amis de Livres par Chamerot et Renouard 1893. No. 55 OF 115 COPIES printed for M. Van der Vrecken de Bormans. 275 x 190 mm. 10 3/4 x 7 1/2". 4 p.l. 159 3. DAZZLING CONTEMPORARY SCARLET MOROCCO VERY ORNATELY DECORATED IN GILT SILVER AND BLACK AS WELL AS INLAID BY MARIUS MICHEL stamp-signed on front doublure covers elaborately embellished with a floral frame enclosing a large central panel filled with diapered compartments formed by gently curving black leaves each compartment containing a floral sprig tooled in silver and gold flat spine with similarly decorated ogival compartments and gilt titling OLIVE BROWN MOROCCO DOUBLURES filled with rows of inlaid red carnations with dark green pedicels leather hinges jacquard silk endleaves in pink blue and green pattern marbled flyleaves all edges gilt. Original white textured paper wrappers bound in. In a slightly worn brown morocco-trimmed marbled paper slipcase. With eight pleasing color engravings by Rops 4 Robaudi 2 and Garnier 2 depicting scenes from the story accompanied by 29 proofs in red yellow cyan and black & white as called for in the colophon. A Large Paper Copy. Front flyleaf with INK INSCRIPTION SIGNED BY MARIUS MICHEL and dated Mai 1920 noting that he had bound this copy for M. Van der Vrecken de Bormans in 1896 for a very substantial price of 600 francs. Carteret IV 407; Vicaire I 47. Three blank front flyleaves with narrow faint brown horizontal blemish across most of the page apparently a tape shadow; in all other ways A BEAUTIFUL COPY clean fresh and bright internally IN A PRISTINE BINDING. This ravishing object is a bibliophile's treasure: an illustrated luxury edition in Large Paper format of Voltaire's philosophical novel offered in a binding from a pre-eminent Parisian atelier. The impressive binding stands out not only because of its remarkable condition but also because of the variety and unerring execution of its decorative elements--from the vigorous use of black gold and silver on the cover and spine to the particularly animated inlaid morocco doublures. Considered the best binder of his generation as well as the founder of modern French bookbinding Henri Marius Michel 1846-1925 began his career in the workshop established by his father Jean in Paris in 1849 where they produced distinguished bindings in the prevailing historical styles for two decades. After the father's death in 1890 the firm came to even greater prominence when Henri began producing bindings in a completely new and original style that did nothing less than change the course of modern bookbinding in France. According to Duncan & De Bartha Henri believed passionately "that bookbinding needed a new vocabulary of ornamentation in order to express the mood and spirit of contemporary authors." The "vocabulary of ornamentation" he developed was based on nature the revolutionary "La Flore Ornamentale" style that he unveiled at the 1878 International Exposition. His favored floral forms dominate the present binding both as inlays and as silver and gold tooling. Our binding was commissioned by Paul Van der Vrecken Baron de Bormans an attaché at the Belgian Embassy in Paris and a bibliophile who belonged to "La société du livre contemporain" as well as the "Cercle Parisien du livre." The 600 francs the binding cost would have bought a very great deal in France at the end of the 19th century. Another copy of this work with the same special features and also bound in inlaid morocco by Marius Michel sold at Sotheby's in 1995 for the hammer price equivalent of $31200. Imprimé pour Les Amis de Livres par Chamerot et Renouard unknown
1893Best.-Nr. ST17884Paris: Imprimé pour Les Amis de Livres par Chamerot et Renouard 1893. No. 55 OF 115 COPIES printed for M. Van der Vrecken de Bormans. 275 x 190 mm. 10 3/4 x 7 1/2". 4 p.l. 159 3. DAZZLING CONTEMPORARY SCARLET MOROCCO VERY ORNATELY DECORATED IN GILT SILVER AND BLACK AS WELL AS INLAID BY MARIUS MICHEL stamp-signed on front doublure covers elaborately embellished with a floral frame enclosing a large central panel filled with diapered compartments formed by gently curving black leaves each compartment containing a floral sprig tooled in silver and gold flat spine with similarly decorated ogival compartments and gilt titling OLIVE BROWN MOROCCO DOUBLURES filled with rows of inlaid red carnations with dark green pedicels leather hinges jacquard silk endleaves in pink blue and green pattern marbled flyleaves all edges gilt. Original white textured paper wrappers bound in. In a slightly worn brown morocco-trimmed marbled paper slipcase. With eight pleasing color engravings by Rops 4 Robaudi 2 and Garnier 2 depicting scenes from the story accompanied by 29 proofs in red yellow cyan and black & white as called for in the colophon. A Large Paper Copy. Front flyleaf with INK INSCRIPTION SIGNED BY MARIUS MICHEL and dated Mai 1920 noting that he had bound this copy for M. Van der Vrecken de Bormans in 1896 for a very substantial price of 600 francs. Carteret IV 407; Vicaire I 47. Three blank front flyleaves with narrow faint brown horizontal blemish across most of the page apparently a tape shadow; in all other ways A BEAUTIFUL COPY clean fresh and bright internally IN A PRISTINE BINDING. This ravishing object is a bibliophile's treasure: an illustrated luxury edition in Large Paper format of Voltaire's philosophical novel offered in a binding from a pre-eminent Parisian atelier. The impressive binding stands out not only because of its remarkable condition but also because of the variety and unerring execution of its decorative elements--from the vigorous use of black gold and silver on the cover and spine to the particularly animated inlaid morocco doublures. Considered the best binder of his generation as well as the founder of modern French bookbinding Henri Marius Michel 1846-1925 began his career in the workshop established by his father Jean in Paris in 1849 where they produced distinguished bindings in the prevailing historical styles for two decades. After the father's death in 1890 the firm came to even greater prominence when Henri began producing bindings in a completely new and original style that did nothing less than change the course of modern bookbinding in France. According to Duncan & De Bartha Henri believed passionately "that bookbinding needed a new vocabulary of ornamentation in order to express the mood and spirit of contemporary authors." The "vocabulary of ornamentation" he developed was based on nature the revolutionary "La Flore Ornamentale" style that he unveiled at the 1878 International Exposition. His favored floral forms dominate the present binding both as inlays and as silver and gold tooling. Our binding was commissioned by Paul Van der Vrecken Baron de Bormans an attaché at the Belgian Embassy in Paris and a bibliophile who belonged to "La société du livre contemporain" as well as the "Cercle Parisien du livre." The 600 francs the binding cost would have bought a very great deal in France at the end of the 19th century. Another copy of this work with the same special features and also bound in inlaid morocco by Marius Michel sold at Sotheby's in 1995 for the hammer price equivalent of $31200. Imprimé pour Les Amis de Livres par Chamerot et Renouard unknown books
1759Best.-Nr. 752Genève Geneva: Cramer 1759. First Edition. 3 vols. in one 12mo 164 x 100mm pp. 2 291 1; 133 1 35 1. First printing of the great 18th century philosophical narrative with all the points correct. Including the 3 usual cancels the right title page ornament repeated pages 193 and 266 the misprints of “que ce ce fut” page 103 line 4 and “précisément” page 125 line 4 the correction removing a paragraph break page 31 the rewritten lines about the Lisbon earthquake page 41 etc. Contemporary full calf red calf label rebacked with the original spine saved and laid down recornered marbled endpapers gilt rubbed inner paper hinges strengthened old ink signatures on the endpaper and front blank tiny signature on the title page one tissue strengthened tear at the bottom of A2 touching the last 3 lines of text without any loss otherwise internally quite nice clean and very good. Bound without N7 a blank and N8 a notice to the binder as is usual agreeing in all respects to what you would have received if you had purchased a copy in sheets on publication day then bought the sequels and then handed them over to the most local Swiss bindery. Ref: PMM 204. There were 18 editions of Candide in 1759. It took 221 years for a clear and convincing bibliography to first sort them out and then got accepted and once accepted our real 1st edition was confirmed as rare. In the last 15 years however that bibliographical data has been more widely circulated and several 1st editions that weren’t on the original 22–copy census have come into market. It is still scarce more so in a contemporary binding. Candide bides as the epitomic philosophical fable of the French Enlightenment and the genotype of irony without exaggeration and though it’s laced with more salt than the postwar streets of Carthage it repeatedly tolls a reminder that light hearts live long. Most importantly Candide remains remarkably relevant when examined through contemporary frameworks functioning as an incisive proto-postcolonial text that anticipates modern discourse on global inequality systems of oppression and the limitations of Enlightenment rationality. The novel's scathing portrayal of slavery conquest and religious persecution resonates with intersectional analyses that recognize how power structures interlock across racial gender and economic dimensions. The savage irony throughout the text dismantles not just philosophical optimism but also European exceptionalism exposing the hypocrisy of colonial enterprises and religious institutions alike. The narrative's episodic structure—with its global movements between Europe South America and the Ottoman Empire—invites discussions of transnationalism and diasporic experience while Candide's concluding retreat to cultivate his garden has been reinterpreted by ecocritical scholars as both an acknowledgment of environmental interdependence and a potentially problematic withdrawal from systems-level political engagement. “Do you believe” said Candide “that men have always massacred each other as they do to-day that they have always been liars cheats traitors ingrates brigands idiots thieves scoundrels gluttons drunkards misers envious ambitious bloody–minded calumniators debauchees fanatics hypocrites and fools” “Do you believe” said Martin “that hawks have always eaten pigeons when they have found them” –Voltaire Candide. Cramer unknown
1759Best.-Nr. 752Genève Geneva: Cramer 1759. First Edition. 3 vols. in one 12mo 164 x 100mm pp. 2 291 1; 133 1 35 1. First printing of the great 18th century philosophical narrative with all the points correct. Including the 3 usual cancels the right title page ornament repeated pages 193 and 266 the misprints of “que ce ce fut” page 103 line 4 and “précisément” page 125 line 4 the correction removing a paragraph break page 31 the rewritten lines about the Lisbon earthquake page 41 etc. Contemporary full calf red calf label rebacked with the original spine saved and laid down recornered marbled endpapers gilt rubbed inner paper hinges strengthened old ink signatures on the endpaper and front blank tiny signature on the title page one tissue strengthened tear at the bottom of A2 touching the last 3 lines of text without any loss otherwise internally quite nice clean and very good. Bound without N7 a blank and N8 a notice to the binder as is usual agreeing in all respects to what you would have received if you had purchased a copy in sheets on publication day then bought the sequels and then handed them over to the most local Swiss bindery. Ref: PMM 204. There were 18 editions of Candide in 1759. It took 221 years for a clear and convincing bibliography to first sort them out and then got accepted and once accepted our real 1st edition was confirmed as rare. In the last 15 years however that bibliographical data has been more widely circulated and several 1st editions that weren’t on the original 22–copy census have come into market. It is still scarce more so in a contemporary binding. Candide bides as the epitomic philosophical fable of the French Enlightenment and the genotype of irony without exaggeration and though it’s laced with more salt than the postwar streets of Carthage it repeatedly tolls a reminder that light hearts live long. Most importantly Candide remains remarkably relevant when examined through contemporary frameworks functioning as an incisive proto-postcolonial text that anticipates modern discourse on global inequality systems of oppression and the limitations of Enlightenment rationality. The novel's scathing portrayal of slavery conquest and religious persecution resonates with intersectional analyses that recognize how power structures interlock across racial gender and economic dimensions. The savage irony throughout the text dismantles not just philosophical optimism but also European exceptionalism exposing the hypocrisy of colonial enterprises and religious institutions alike. The narrative's episodic structure—with its global movements between Europe South America and the Ottoman Empire—invites discussions of transnationalism and diasporic experience while Candide's concluding retreat to cultivate his garden has been reinterpreted by ecocritical scholars as both an acknowledgment of environmental interdependence and a potentially problematic withdrawal from systems-level political engagement. “Do you believe” said Candide “that men have always massacred each other as they do to-day that they have always been liars cheats traitors ingrates brigands idiots thieves scoundrels gluttons drunkards misers envious ambitious bloody–minded calumniators debauchees fanatics hypocrites and fools” “Do you believe” said Martin “that hawks have always eaten pigeons when they have found them” –Voltaire Candide. Cramer unknown books
Best.-Nr. LCS-18355La Henriade de Voltaire conservé dans son maroquin de l’époque mosaïqué et armorié, condition d’exception pour un livre imprimé au cours de la Révolution française. Paris, P. Didot, fils aîné de F.A. Didot l’aîné, 1790. Grand in-4 de 1 portrait, 1 pl. hors-texte, xl pp., 222 pp., (1) f., 12 planches hors-texte. Plein maroquin rouge à grain long, plats richement ornés de filets, grecque et roulette dorées, dos à faux-nerfs mosaïqué avec incrustation de bandeaux de maroquin vert, pièces de titre et de tomaison en maroquin vert, chiffre doré du prince Albert de Saxe-Teschen répété cinq fois dans les entre-nerfs, coupes décorées, roulette intérieure, tranches dorées. Reliure armoriée et mosaïquée de l’époque. 308 x 228 mm.
Best.-Nr. LCS-18034Cette édition originale de Candide est très rare. S.l. [Genève, Cramer], 1759. [Reliés à la suite] : II- [Maubert de Gouvest, Jean-Henri]. Ephraïm justifié. Mémoire historique et raisonné sur l’état passé, présent et futur des finances de Saxe... adressé par le Juif Ephraïm à son cousin Manasses d’Amsterdam. Nouvelle édition. Erlangen, 1758. III- [Du même]. Lettre du Prince de Prusse mourant, au Roi son frère. Erlangen, 1758. IV- [Rémond de Saint-Sauveur]. Remerciement d’un Particulier à Messieurs les Philosophes du Jour. V-[Coyer, Gabriel-François]. Lettre au R.P. Berthier sur le matérialisme. Genève (Paris), 1759. Soit 5 ouvrages reliés en 1 volumes in-12 de : I/ (1) f.bl., 299 pp. (signatures A-Nh), (1) f.bl. ; II/ viii pp., 103 ; III/ 23 pp. ; IV/ 8 pp. ; V/ 77 pp. L’encre noire a légèrement déchargé en transparence lors de l’impression de Candide. Reliure de l’époque en veau marbré, dos lisse orné de motifs dorés, pièce de titre de maroquin rouge, tranches rouges. Reliure de l’époque. 161 x 93 mm.
Best.-Nr. LCS-18032« “Candide” se détache comme le chef-d’œuvre voltairien : bref, attractif, expression accomplie d’une pensée et d’un art, par quoi Voltaire, auteur de dizaines de volumes aujourd’hui peu fréquentés, assure sa présence auprès de la postérité » (René Pomeau). S.l. [Genève, Cramer], 1759. [Amsterdam, Marc Michel Rey]. In-12 de 299 pages. Quelques taches, demi-basane brune, dos lisse orné, pièce de titre en maroquin rouge, tranches jaunes. Reliure de l’époque. 163 x 97 mm.
Best.-Nr. LCS-186414L’un des exemplaires imprimés sur grand papier fin. De l’imprimerie de la Société Littéraire typographique 1784-1789. 70 volumes. Grand in-8, maroquin vert, encadrement doré sur les plats, roulette intérieure et coupes finement ornées, dos lisses ornés de motifs dorés (certains légèrement passés), pièces de titre et de tomaison de maroquin rouge, tranches dorées. Quelques rousseurs inhérentes au papier. Reliure de l’époque. 245 x 150 mm.