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Two volumes in-12, 16.8 x 11.5 cm each, uniformly bound in ¾ red crushed morocco over marbled boards, spine with raised bands and gilt lettering, marbled endpapers, text printed on laid paper, 6 plates (3 in each vol.) on India paper pasted in on thick laid paper leaves. This edition seems similar to Nordmann I 203 but without Félicien Rops' frontispiece and plates, replaced by unsigned etchings attributed to Gustave Staal. Title-page (red and black): LE RICHE DE LA POPELINIÈRE | – | TABLEAUX | DES | MŒURS DU TEMPS | DANS LES DIFFÉRENTS AGES DE LA VIE | – | NOTICE DE | CHARLES MONSELET | – | TOME PREMIER (SECOND) | {fleuron} | PARIS | IMPRIMERIE DES CI-DEVANT FERMIERS GÉNÉRAUX | – | M D CCC L XVII || Vol. 1: π2 (h.t., t.p.) a4 (Notice), 1-1312 151 (Table); total 91 leaves plus three leaves of plates. Pagination: [4] [i] ii-vii [viii] [3] 4-168 [2]; total 182 pp, ils. facing pp. 59, 78, and 94. Vol. 2: π2 (h.t., t.p.), 1-1312, 152; total 88 leaves plus three leaves of plates. Pagination: [4] [1] 2-170 [2]; total 176 pp, ils. facing pp. 74, 78, and 145. Catalogue raisonné: Dutel I: A-1044 — without Félicien Rops ‘ornementations’, but with ‘6 gravures de 1865’. Dutel suggests that the edition was performed by A. Poulet-Malassis, Briard or Lécrivain. Catalogue Poulet-Malassis & ses amis description: № 43. LE RICHE DE LA POPELINIÈRE. Tableaux des mœurs du temps dans les diérents âges de la vie, tome premier (— second). Notice de M. Charles Monselet. Imprimerie des ci-devant fermiers généraux, Paris, M D CCC LXVII [A. Poulet-Malassis, 1867]. Exemplaire sans le frontispice de Félicien Rops mais bien complet des 6 figures de Staal, justification qui illustre les aléas de la confection des publications clandestines. D’une part, c’est une autre édition qui est décrite par Launay. L’exemplaire vendu chez Maître Loudmer avait 6 figures, comme ici. Cluzel a vu un “front. et 4 vignettes de Rops plus cinq figures libres (par Staal)”, Simonson a vu 5 figures de Rops, etc., etc. Il y a 3 bandeaux et 3 culs-de-lampe de Rops qui ont été fréquemment utilisés par d’autres éditeurs pour d’autres titres pendant toute la seconde moitié du xixe siècle. La Léonina présente une fiche détaillée sur 4 pages. 3 bandeaux et 3 culs-de-lampe gravés sur bois de Rops. Bibliographie : Pia 1389, Launay 327, Gay 6-308, Pey 122 (1800 frs avec 5 figures), PC 503 et 504, Lemonnyer 3-1173, LL 66, Leonina 81, Nordmann 1-203, Dutel A-1043. Contributors: Alexandre Jean Joseph Le Riche de La Popelinière (French, 1693 – 1762) – author. Charles Monselet (French, 1825 – 1888) – author (foreword). Pierre-Gustave-Eugène Staal (French, 1817 – 1882) – artist. Auguste Poulet-Malassis (French, 1825 – 1878) – publisher. -
Softcover volume, 33 x 26 cm, collated in folio, not bound, in publisher’s French flapped pictorial wrappers, lettering to spine; printed on thick wove Arches paper watermarked “MBM”, upper edge trimmed, owner’s blind stamp to h.t. “Ex Libris Comte Tony de Vibraye”, glassine dust jacket, in a slipcase. Collation: π2 1-262, total 54 leaves, plus 4 leaves in wrappers, plus 10 plates, incl. frontispiece; coloured aquatints after Sylvain Sauvage; coloured etched vignette to front wrapper, gilt woodcut to back wrapper, woodcut title-page and woodcut headpiece after the same. Pp.: [4] [1] 2-102 [2]. Front wrapper (gilt and black): LA NUIT & LE MOMENT | {vignette} | OU | LES MATINÉES DE CYTHÈRE | PAR | MONSIEUR DE CRÉBILLON LE FILS | — || Title-page (woodcut): CRÉBILLON LE FILS | — | LA NUIT ET LE MOMENT | OU | LES MATINÉES | DE CYTHÈRE | {vignette} | A PARIS | AUX DEPENS D'UN AMATEUR | — | M CM XXIV || Limitation: De cette édition il a été tiré un exemplaire unique sur japon impérial comportant dix aquarelles originales, deux cents trente exemplaires sur vélin d' Arches numérotés 1 à 230, dont les dix premiers avec une suite de hors texte sur japon. N° 1 [Print run limited to 230 copies on Arches plus a unique copy on Japon with original watercolours, this is copy № 1 on wove paper]. Seller’s description: La Nuit et le moment ou Les Matinées de Cythère. Paris, Au dépens d'un amateur, 1924. In-4, en feuilles, non rogné, couverture illustrée et étui. Ouvrage illustré de 4 gravures sur bois et de 10 eaux-fortes libres en couleurs hors texte de Sylvain Sauvage. Tirage à 231 exemplaires, celui-ci le n°1 sur vélin d'Arches. Manque la suite de hors texte sur japon. De la bibliothèque du Comte Tony de Vibraye, avec cachet à froid. Dutel, n°2062. Catalogue raisonné: honesterotica.com; Dutel III 2062. Contributors: Claude-Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon [Crébillon fils] (French, 1707 – 1777) – author. Sylvain Sauvage [Félix Roy] (French, 1888 – 1948) – artist. Provenance: Antoine Henri Gaston Hurault de Vibraye [Comte Tony de Vibraye] (French, 1893 – 1951) -
Two volumes, 168 x 106 mm each, uniformly bound in faux mottled calf ruled in gilt, marbled endpapers. Vol. 1: 3 blank leaves of wove paper, 3 blank leaves of laid paper, half-title/blank, blank/frontispiece, ‘engraved’ t.p./blank, both printed on laid paper watermarked “ARCHES A LA | MAIN”; ‘letterpress’ t.p.,/blank, pp.: [1] 2-115 [116 blank], 3 blank leaves of laid paper, 3 blank leaves of wove paper; collated 12mo: π2 A-I6 K4; total 60 leaves plus 16 ‘engraved’ plates, incl. t.p. and frontis. Vol. 2: 3 blank leaves of wove paper, 3 blank leaves of laid paper, half-title/blank, blank/frontispiece, ‘engraved’ t.p./blank, no watermark, ‘letterpress’ t.p.,/blank, pp.: 1-77 [78 blank], 2 blank leaves of laid paper, 3 blank leaves of wove paper; collated 12mo: π2 A-F6 G3; total 41 leaves plus 24 ‘engraved’ plates, incl. t.p. and frontis. Dutel (I): A-1089, p. 325: in-8 (probably by size only, no formula suggested), pagination 115 and 77 as here, 2 frontispieces, 2 engraved titles dated 1873, “et 36 belles gravures de Binet”. Cohen-DeRicci: p. 734 bottom: in-12, no pagination, no formula. "Thérèse" was offered by a French seller user-75d14f4 on the online auction platform CATAWIKI in December 2021. The seller's description of this two-volume set was: "Re-edition, the date of which I was unable to determine. (London, no name, 1782) 2 duodecimo volumes of 115 and 77 pp., very lovely marbled sheepskin pastiche bindings, gilded triple fillets, adorned spines, black title labels. This classic of 18th-century clandestine erotica was written in 1748 by an author who has remained anonymous, attributed at the time to Montigny, which led to his internment in the Bastille. It is now attributed to the Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens. Edition illustrated with 37 very unrestrained figures, engraved in intaglio after Borel, unsigned." I should have paid more attention to the first phase, about the re-edition, but I didn't. After a few bidding rounds, I won the book when the hammer price was 2,200 Euros. On the 28th of December, 2021, I paid for this little beauty $2,760. The book arrived a few days later. The paper's quality and texture, the watermark, the absence of the platemark, and the lack of embossing on the back (text and plates) made me suspect it was a fake. The pages were absolutely flat to the touch! I established clear evidence of a high-resolution 'xerox' copy using Celestron Micro Capture Pro micro-photography. I wrote to the seller and the auction platform, explaining my doubts regarding its authenticity. To prove my point, I include a few micro photos of the "Thérèse" and some books printed at the end of the 18th century. I explained why I considered it a fake and requested a return/refund. After two months of email exchanges, the seller and the platform refused to pay me back. Today is the 2nd anniversary of the purchase. I still have the book. To celebrate my carelessness, I included it in my library to warn fellow book collectors about buying from an unknown dealer via certain online auction platforms. Ref.: Bamber Gascoigne. How to Identify Prints: A Complete Guide to Manual and Mechanical Processes from Woodcut to Ink. — Thames and Hudson, 1995.
Books used for comparison: [LIB-2743.2021] Restif de la Bretonne. Les parisiennes, ou XL caractères généraux pris dans les mœurs actuelles, propres à servir à l’instruction des personnes-du-sexe / 4 vol. — Neufchâtel, et Paris: Guillot, 1787. [LIB-3027.2022] [Héliodore d’Emèse]. Amours de Théagènes et Chariclée: Histoire Éthiopique / 2 vol. — Londres [i.e. Paris]: [s.n.], 1743. [LIB-3252.2023] [Nicolas Chorier.] Le Meursius françois, ou entretiens galans d’Aloysia, orné de figures. — Cythere [i.e. Paris: Cazin], 1782. Below is a Xerox copy for comparison.Thérèse philosophe, 1783.
Late 18th century books
