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Title-page in black and red: LE | SOPHA, | CONTE MORAL. | NOUVELLE EDITION. | PREMIERE PARTIE. | {vignette} | A PEKIN, | Chez l'imprimeur de l'Empereur, | 1749. || Pagination: Two volumes in one. [2] – blanks, [2] – blank / frontis., [i, ii] – t.p. / blank, [iii] iv-xxi [xxii] ; [1] 2-253, [254-256] – table / blank, [2] – blanks; [i, ii] f.t. (seconde partie). [iii] 4-237 [238-240] – table / blank, [2] – blanks ; ills. 1 frontispiece, 4 plates and 2 vignettes by Pelletier after Clavereau, 2 fleurons by Fessard after Cochin. Collation: 12mo; a12, A8B4–T8V4, X8 [*1]; A8B4–T8V4. Binding: Full mottled calf, flat spine, compartments double-ruled in gilt, gilt flowers and foliage in compartments, crimson title label; marbled endpapers. Printed on laid paper, watermarked. Size: 14.8 x 8.8 cm Catalogue raisonné: Cohen, de Ricci (266); J. Lewine (124-5). -
LA PUCELLE | D'ORLÉANS, | POËME HÉROÏ-COMIQUE, | EN DIX-HUIT CHANTS. |{vignette}| A GENEVE. | M. DCC.LXXXVIII.|| Pagination: engraved frontis., engraved portrait, [1, 2] – t.p. / blank, [3] 4-304; plates: engraved frontispiece, engraved portrait of Jeanne d'Arc and 18 engraved plates (the so-called 'suite anglaise' by Marillier, Clément-Pierre (French, 1740 – 1808) after Duflos, Pierre (French, 1742 – 1816). Publisher: Cazin, Hubert-Martin (French, 1724 – 1795). Modern binding to imitate full mottled calf of the 18th century, gilt double-ruled boards, gilt decorated spine with the crimson label “LA PUCELLE”, AEG, laid paper. Size: 13.3 x 8.7 cm; 18mo. Catalogue raisonné: Cohen, De Ricci 1032 (for 1777 and 1780 editions). J. Lewine p.559 (for 1777 16mo and even 12mo editions). The 'correct' 1st thus edition is called suite anglaise because instead of 'chant number' it's printed 'book number' on top of the pages. This copy is definitely a later pirated edition. -
Two-volume edition, financed, arranged and managed by Fermiers généraux. Vol. 1. Title : CONTES | ET | NOUVELLES | EN VERS, | Par M. de La Fontaine. | TOME I. | {vignette} | A AMSTERDAM. | — | M. DCC. LXII. || Pagination: [2] – blanks [i, ii] – h.t. / blank, [iii, iv] – t.p. / blank, v-xiv, [1] 2–268 [269-70] – table, [4] – blanks, plus frontispiece by Fiquet after Rigault, t.p. vignette, vignette, headpiece, and 23 tailpieces by Choffard, 39 plates by various engravers after Charles Eisen. Vol. 2. Title: same but TOME II. Pagination: [2] – blanks] [i, ii] – h.t. / blank, [iii] iv-viii [1] 2–306 [307-10] – épitaphe / table, [4] – blanks, plus frontispiece by Fiquet after Vispré, t.p. vignette, vignette, headpiece, and 29 tailpieces by Choffard, and 42 plates after Charles Eisen (Ray only cite 41 plates). Binding: 2 volumes, 19.8 x 12.2 each, uniformly bound in full Spanish mottled calf, boards triple ruled in gilt, flat spine with triple bands, double ruled and tooled in gilt, black title labels lettered in gilt, all margins gilt, marbled end-papers, in cardboard slipcases, openings leathered. In vol. 1 a manuscript plate 4.8 x 8.2 cm pasted to page [1]: "Cette Édition est très rare n’y ayant | eu que 30 Exemplaires de livres, ou la figure principale dans le Cas de Conscience page 143 Tom 2 est nud tandis que dans les autres Éditions cette Figure est voilée par un feuillage".
Contributors:
Jean de La Fontaine (French, 1621–1695) – author.
Fermiers généraux and Jean Baptiste Séroux d'Agincourt (French, 1730 – 1814) – publisher.
Joseph Gérard Barbou (French, 1723–1790) – printer.
Artists:
Charles Eisen (French, 1720 – 1778)
François Xavier Vispré (British-French, c.1730 – 1789 or after)
Hyacinthe Rigaud [Jacint Rigau-Ros i Serra] (Catalan-French, 1659 – 1743)
Engravers:
Joseph de Longueil (French, 1730 – 1792)
Noël Le Mire (French, 1724 – 1801)
Jean-Jacques André Le Veau (French, 1729 – 1786)
Jacques Aliamet (French, 1726 – 1788)
Jean Charles Baquoy (French, 1721 – 1777)
Pierre-Philippe Choffard (French, 1730 – 1809)
Jean Jacques Flipart (French, 1719 – 1782)
Louis Simon Lempereur (French, 1725 – 1796)
Jean Ouvrier (French, 1725 – 1784)
Étienne Ficquet (French 1719 – 1794)
Catalogue raisonné: Ray (French): №26, pp. 54-56; Cohen-DeRicci: 558-571; Lewine: 278-280.
