Simón

1792 · ref. 21136 — Parma 1792. 12mo. Bodoni 19th-century gold- and blind-tooled mottled calf by Loutrel with a pink morocco title label on the spine lettered in gold a blind-tooled single fillet border on both boards fleurons on the spine head edge gilt marbled endpapers. 2 volumes. 44 25 bis. - 44 bis. 45-144; 8 168 pp. Extremely rare imprint limited to only 25 copies all printed on "paper vélin". This copy nearly matches one recorded in the BNF. However ours has additional title pages to both parts both of which carry the author's name as well as the supplementary pages 25 bis. - 44 bis. which are lacking in the BNF copy.Simon Pierre Mérard de Saint-Just 1749-1812 was a rich French nobleman who was in charge of the residence of the future Louis XIII for several years. After retiring from his public duties in 1782 he concentrated on both book collecting and literary pursuits. He who wrote primarily for his own enjoyment and issued his works in very limited editions. The present work contains fables and short stories on animals humans and emotions many of which are adapted or translated from the writings of John Gay 1685-1732 who Mérard calls "the British La Fontaine" in the introduction.The imprint is almost certainly fictitious as several fables bear dates as late as 1794 while the epilogue is dated 1795 in the table of contents. The work was most likely printed in Paris in of after 1795 though a connection with Giambattista Bodoni cannot be entirely ruled out. Copies dated 1787 and 1799 are also known but it remains unclear whether these are different editions or merely issues with different title pages.With the stamp of the bookbinder on the verso of the first free flyleaf of the first volume. Occasionally mildly foxed or stained the fore edge and lower margins are untrimmed. Otherwise in excellent condition.l Cioranescu 44414; Monglond II 370; Quérard VI 52; not in Brooks. hardcover