Voltaire

1808 · réf. 32539-528 — Paris De l'Imprimerie des Frères Mame & Chez Antoine-Augustin Renouard 1808-16. With 178 engraved plates mostly by Moreau le Jeune. 8vo c. 210 x 140 mm. Late 19th century full red morocco gilt lettering on spines somewhat faded gilt outer and inner fillets all edges gilt. From the library of James Arthur Taylor with his engr. bookplate. Paris De l'Imprimerie des Frères Mame & Chez Antoine-Augustin Renouard 1808-16. Rare edition of Voltaire's 1694-1778 collected works illustrated with a suite of engravings mostly done by J.-M. Moreau le jeune 1741-1814. Single copies from the present edition were also sold separately by Renouard. "Cette collection de gravures est l'une des plus belles qui ait jamais été exécutée pour aucun livre" Fürstenberg. Arranged in 21 vols. by Renouard it contains of: Théatre 9 vols. 1809; Romans 2 vols. 1809 and 1808; Poèmes et discours en vers 1808; Epîtres stances et odes 1808; Contes en vers satires et poésies mèlées 1808; Siècle de Louis XIV 2 vols. 1808; Précis du siècle de Louis XV 1808; Histoire de l'empire de Russie sous Pierre le Grand 1809; La Henriade poème avec les notes et variantes suivi de l'essai sur la poésie épique 1816; La Pucelle d'Orléans poème en vingt et un chants 1816; Histoire de Charles XII roi de Suède 1816. The majority of the volumes are illustrated with 113 engravings by Moreau le Jeune. Renouard added a series of c. 65 portraits of famous peoples mostly engraved by Augustin Saint-Aubin the copper-plates of which Renouard possessed. Probably this is the best-known work of Moreau le Jeune draftsman und engraver. After the first announcement of the publication of the Kehl edition of Voltaire's complete works he started the series of illustrations without an order and on his own account. Later Moreau sold them to Beaumarchais who included them in the de-luxe edition of Voltaire's complete works printed at Kehl in 1785-89. These series was also sold separately as in the present case.- Plates partly browned text-page very clean otherwise a nice set. - Bengesco IV 2184; Quérard La France littéraire X 378-379; Bocher Catalogue de l'oeuvre pp. 582 & 618; Sander Illustr. franz. Bücher 1407; cf. Cohen/de Ricci 1047; cf. Lewine p. 566; no copy in BnF. LITERATURE: FRENCH ; LITERATUR: FREMDSPRACHIGE ; Paris, De l'Imprimerie des Frères Mame & Chez Antoine-Augustin Renouard unknown