-
One volume, 25.8 x 20.7 cm, laid paper 25.2 x 19.5 cm, platemark 13.3 x 7.7 cm, wide margins; bound in calf, ruled in gilt, rebacked, raised bands, blind-stamped flower lozenges in compartments, crimson label with gilt lettering, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, gilt dentelle inside, engraved bookplate to front pastedown: lettered ribbon: “VINCTUS NON VICTUS”, chained Lion Passant in a collar, below “Maurice B. Worms”. Title-page: MONUMENS | DU | CULTE SECRET | DES | DAMES ROMAINES , | POUR SERVIR DE SUITE | AUX MONUMENS DE LA VIE PRIVÉE | DES XII CÉSARS. | {VIGNETTE} | A CAPRÉE. | CHEZ SABELLUS. | M. DCC. LXXXIV. || Collation: [A]2 B-G2 2A-Z2 Aa2 Bb1, total 63 leaves, plus engraved title/frontispiece and 50 plates, all unsigned, first and last blanks. Pagination: [i-ii] iii-xxvii [xxviii] 1-98, ils., total 126 pages. Catalogue raisonné: Cohen-De Ricci: 475; Lewine: 233; Dutel (1650-1880) № A-729, p. 223; Pia (1978): col. 884-5, pp. 467-8. Author: Pierre-François Hugues d'Hancarville (French, 1719-1805) – author. Provenance: Maurice Benedict Worms (Austrian, 1805 – 1867), son of Benedikt Moses Worms (1769 – 1824) and Schönche Jeannette Rothschild (1771 – 1859), maternal grandson of Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744 – 1812), the founder of the House of Rothschild. -
Hardcover volume, 12mo, 125 x 85 mm, two parts in one, bound and gilded by Cuzin and Maillard, respectively, between 1876 and 1881, in crimson crushed morocco with raised bands and gilt lettering to spine, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, gilt dentelle, signed 'Cuzin' to foot of front turn-in and 'Maillard dor.' to rear. Adorned with engraved frontispiece and 12 plates by Elluin after Borel. Text printed on a slightly bluish paper. Title-page: LE | MEURSIUS FRANÇOIS, | OU | ENTRETIENS GALANS | D'ALOYSIA. | ORNÉ | DE FIGURES. | — | TOME PREMIER (SECOND) | — | ✵ | A CYTHERE | — | M. DCC. LXXXII. || Collation: 12mo, π4 (2 blanks) A-Z6 χ1,+ π2 A-S6 (4 blanks) χ1, total 254 leaves; pagination: [8] [1] 2-277 [278 blank], [4] [1] 2-210 [8 blanks], total 508 pages, plus 13 engraved plates, incl. frontispiece. Catalogue raisonné: Cohen-de Ricci 240; Eros invaincu 17; Fekete 51; Nordmann (I) 91. Contributors: Nicolas Chorier (French, 1612 – 1692) – author. Antoine Borel (French, 1743 – 1810) – artist. François-Rolland Elluin (French, 1745 – c. 1822) – engraver. Hubert-Martin Cazin (French, 1724 – 1795) – publisher. Francisque Cuzin (French, 1836 – 1890) – bookbinder. Seller’s description: Erotica.- [Chorier (Nicolas)]Le Meursius François, ou Entretiens galans d'Aloysia, 2 parts in 1, half-title to each part, engraved frontispiece and 12 plates [by Elluin after Borel], handsomely bound in crimson crushed morocco by Cuzin, spine with gilt lettering and five raised bands, gilt tooled turn-ins by Maillard, signed 'Cuzin' to foot of front turn-in and 'Maillard dor.' to rear, marbled endpapers, g.e., fractional rubbing to extremities, an excellent copy, 12mo, Cythere [but Paris], [Cazin], 1782. -
NEWHardcover, 169 x 100 mm, quarter brown sheepskin over speckled paper, flat spine, gilt double fillet bands, crimson morocco label with gilt lettering, printed on French paper watermarked “FIN 1787”; two volumes in one, collated in 12mo. Tome premier: π1 h.t., A8 (A1 t.p., A2,3 Lettre de Sophie au chevalier d'Olzan), B4 C8 D4 E8 F4 G8, H4, I4; pp.: [2] [i-iii] iv-vi, [7] 8-104, plus three plates, p. 24 printed on cream wove paper, pp. 66, 67 on blue laid paper (or pasted on such). Tome second: A8 (incl. h.t. and t.p.) B4 C8 D4 E8 F4 G8 H4 I8 K4, L4; pp.: [1-5] 6-127 [1 blank]; all three plates printed on cream wove paper; plate marked as p.68 is after p. 64, plate marked p.64 is after p. 68, plate p. 79 is on its place. Plates attributed to Louis Binet. Text is attributed mainly to Comte de Mirabeau; however, Guillaume Apollinaire, in his L’Enfer de la Bibliothèque Nationale (1913), believes that Marquis de Sentilly wrote it. Catalogue raisonné: Cohen-de Ricci 709; Dutel I A-988, p. 294. Contributors: Mirabeau, Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, Comte de (French, 1749 – 1791) Binet, Louis (French, 1744 – 1800) Seller's description: Deux parties en un volume in-12. 165 x 97 mm. Tome premier: I f. n. ch. faux-titre, 104 pp. y compris le titre avec une vignette gravée, la "Lettre de Sophie au chevalier d'Olzan" qui débute l'ouvrage est paginée en chiffres romains. Tome second: 127 pp. tout compris et 1 p. bl. 6 gravures libres non signées qui sont de Binet. Reliure de l'époque. Demi-basane brune, plats de papier coquille moucheté, dos lisse omé de deux filets dorés répétés, pièce de titre de maroquin rouge, lettres dorées, tranches jaspées. Reliure un peu frottée, coins émoussés. Quelques rousseurs. Rarissime deuxième édition de cet Émile de l'éducation sexuelle enrichie de gravures libres attribuables à Binet. -
Description: Three volumes 20.5 x 13 cm each, collated 8vo, uniformly bound in quarter calf over marbled boards, with raised bands, gilt in compartments and black and brown gilt-lettered labels to spine; bookplate “Ex libris Jacques Laget” pasted on to front pastedown. Printed on laid paper, with tall “s”. Title-page: L'AN | DEUX MILLE | QUATRE CENT QUARANTE. | Rêve s'il en fût jamais; | SUIVI DE | L'HOMME DE FER, | SONGE. | — | Le présent est gros l’avenir. / Leibnitz. (O utinam !; Le plaisir sans égal seroit de fonder la félicité publique.) | — | NOUVELLE ÉDITION | Avec Figures. | TOME PREMIER (SECOND; TROISIEME). | {device} | — | 1786. || Vol 1: fep a8 A-Z8 2A8; total 201 leaves plus engraved frontispiece by Ghendt after Marillier; pp: ff [i-v] vi-xvi, 1-380 [4]; total 402 pages. Vol. 2: fep π2, A-Z8 2A8 fep; total 196 leaves plus engraved frontispiece by Ghendt after Marillier; pp: [6] 1-381 [5]; total 392 pages. Vol. 3: fep π2, A-T8 V5 fep; total 161 leaves plus engraved frontispiece by Ghendt after Marillier; pp: [6] 1-312 [4]; total 322 pages. Catalogue raisonné: Cohen-DeRicci 701; Lewine 353 Provenance: Jacques Laget (French, 1821 – 1884). Contributors: Louis-Sébastien Mercier (French, 1740 – 1814) – author. Clément Pierre Marillier (French, 1740 – 1808) – artist Emmanuel Jean Nepomucène de Ghendt (Flemish, worked in France, 1738 – 1815) – engraver. See also: LIB-0979.2016 and LIB-2695.2021. -
NEWTwo volumes, 133 x 88 mm each, uniformly bound in full tree calf, bordered in gilt garland, board edges and flat spine tooled in gilt, gilt fleurons in compartments, two crimson morocco labels to spine lettered in gilt; marbled endpapers, bookplate “MK” to front pastedown, one binder’s flyleaf in the front and one in the rear. Title-page: MÉMOIRES | DE | SATURNIN, | ÉCRITS PAR LUI-MÊME, | Nouvelle édition, corrigée & augmentée, | avec Figures. | (in rules) PREMIERE PARTIE / SECONDE PATIE [sic]. | {fleuron} | A LONDRES. | — | M. DCCLXXXVII. || Collation 18mo: Vol. 1: π2 A-T6 V4 (i.e. 118 leaves); pp.: [4] 1-235 [236 blank], plus 13 plates, incl. frontispiece, extraneous to collation. Vol. 2: π2 A-M6 N4 (i.e. 76 leaves); pp.: [4] [1] 2-151 [152], plus 11 plates, extraneous to collation. Twenty-four plates were executed in etching and burin on copper plate by François-Rolland Elluin (French, 1745 – 1810) after Antoine Borel (French, 1743 – 1810). Catalogue raisonné: Cohen 431; Dutel I № A-523, p. 166/7 ; Nordmann I № 156 (large 185 x 125 mm) Author: Gervaise de La Touche, Jean-Charles (French, 1715 – 1782) Microphotographs:
-
NEWTwo volumes, 132 x 85 mm, uniformly bound in mottled calf, panel bordered with gilt garland, flat spine richly tooled in gilt, gilt lettered black label, blue endpapers, “MK” bookplate to front pastedown, gilt-ruled edges and dentelle inside, all edges gilt, an etching on india paper laid in; text and plates printed on laid paper, with tall ‘s’. Vol. 1: Collation 18mo: A-C-E-G12 B-D-F-H6 I10(I10 blank) (i.e. 82 leaves); pp. [1-5] 6-161 [3], plus 9 plates with tissue guards, extr. to collation; and a flyleaf at the front and at the rear. Title-page: THÉRESE | PHILOSOPHE, | OU | MÉMOIRES | Pour servir à l'Histoire de D. DIRRAG, & | de Mademoiselle ERADICE. | Nouvelle édition, augmentée d'un plus | grand nombre de figures que toutes les | précédentes. | (in rules) TOME PREMIER. | {fleuron} | A LONDRES. | — | M.DCC.LXXXV. || Vol. 2: Collation 18mo: ffl, π2 A-C-E6 B-D12 (D11,12 blank) ffl (i.e. 44 leaves); pp.: [4] [1] 2-80 [4], plus 11 plates with tissue guards, extr. to collation; and a flyleaf at the front and at the rear. Title-page: THÉRESE | PHILOSOPHE, | AVEC | L'HISTOIRE | DE | MME BOIS-LAURIER. | Nouvelle édition, augmentée d'un plus | grand nombre de figures que toutes les | précédentes. | (in rules) TOME SECOND. | A LONDRES. | M.DCC.LXXXV. || Twenty plates were executed in stipple engraving by an unknown engraver after François-Rolland Elluin (French, 1745 – 1810) after Antoine Borel (French, 1743 – 1810). Elluin’s plates are executed in etching and burin, besides: pl. 2 mirror image, pl. 5 and 6 mixed up, pl. 9 here is pl. 19 in the original, pl. 12 here is pl. 9 in the original, pl. 11 is 10, pl. 10 is 11, pl. 13 is p. 12, pl. 16 is pl. 13, pl. 14 does not have clocks, p. 14 corrected by hand to 15 and it is 15 indeed, pl. 17 is pl. 16, pl. 18 is pl. 17, pl. 19 is pl. 18, woman has no hat. The edition is legitimate; however, the plates are pirated copies. Catalogue raisonné: Dutel № 1092, p. 235/6. Contributors: Boyer d'Argens, Jean-Baptiste (French, 1703 – 1771)] Borel, Antoine (French, 1743 – 1810) « Eradice » – Cadière, Marie-Catherine (French, 1709 – ?) « D. Dirrag » – Girard, Jean-Baptiste (French, 1680 – 1733) Laid in sheet — illustration to Thérèse philosopher by Félicien Rops.
Microphotographs of certain plates in this edition:
-
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
-
Vol. 1: THE | POEMS | OF | OSSIAN. | TRANSLATED | By JAMES MACPHERSON, Esq; | IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. | A NEW EDITION. | LONDON: | PRINTED FOR W. STRAHAN ; AND T. CADELL, | IN THE STRAND. | M DCC XC.|| Pagination: 2 blank leaves, [2] - t.p. / blank, [v] vi-xiv, [2] - contents / cont., [1, 2] 3-404, one blank leaf. Collation: 8vo; π1 A-Z8 Aa-Cc8 Dd2 Vol. 2: THE | POEMS | OF | OSSIAN. | TRANSLATED | By JAMES MACPHERSON, Esq; | VOL. II. | A NEW EDITION. | LONDON: | PRINTED FOR W. STRAHAN ; AND T. CADELL, | IN THE STRAND. |M DCC XC.|| Pagination: 2 blank leaves, [2] - t.p. / blank, [2] - contents / blank, [1, 2] 3-436, [2] advert. / advert., two blank leaves. Collation: 8vo; π4 B-Z8 Aa-Ee8 Ff2 A1. Two volumes, 21.5 x 14 cm; hardcover; full tree calf gilt-tooled with stylized meander ruled boards inside and outside, flat spite tooled in gilt with meander and pineapples in compartments, two crimson lettered labels. margins speckled blue; peacock marbled endpapers, owner's karks to front pastedown: Owen J. Williams sticker and H. A. Lonis armorial bookplate with an earl's crown, hand-written inscription H. A. and H. C. Williams Wynn and ink stamp of Arthur J. Frank. James Macpherson (British, 1736–1796) was a Scottish writer, poet, literary collector and politician, known as the "translator" of the Ossian cycle of epic poems. Publishing Year: 1790 Publisher: W. Strahan and T. Cadell -
![[James Macpherson]. The Poems of Ossian / Translated by James Macpherson, Esq; In Two Volumes. A New Edition; Two volume set. — London: Printed for W. Strahan and T. Cadell, MDCCLXXXIV [1784]. — Vol.1: [i-v] vi-xiii, [2] 3-404 pp; vol.2: [6], [2] 3-435 pp.](https://varshavskycollection.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/LIB-2397.2020-500x500.jpeg)
Vol. 1: THE | POEMS | OF | OSSIAN. | TRANSLATED | By JAMES MACPHERSON, Esq; | IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. | A NEW EDITION. | LONDON: | PRINTED FOR W. STRAHAN ; AND T. CADELL, | IN THE STRAND. | MDCCLXXXIV.|| Vol. 2:THE | POEMS | OF | OSSIAN. | TRANSLATED | By JAMES MACPHERSON, Esq; | VOL. II. | A NEW EDITION. | LONDON: | PRINTED FOR W. STRAHAN ; AND T. CADELL, | IN THE STRAND. | MDCCLXXXV.|| Vol.1: [i-v] vi-xiii, [2] 3-404 pp; vol.2: [6], [2] 3-435 pp. Two volumes, 22.5 x 14.7 cm; hardcover; full calf with the spines later professionally rebound; original boards with sympathetic repairs to the margins and corners.5 raised bands, red label with gilt lettering to Sp. Bindings remain firm, page blocks firm, boards stained, pages a little rippled, with occasional marks throughout. spotting and marks to endpapers. James Macpherson (British, 1736–1796) was a Scottish writer, poet, literary collector and politician, known as the "translator" of the Ossian cycle of epic poems. Publishing Year: 1784 Publisher: W. Strahan and T. Cadell -
NEWThree volumes, 124 x 80 mm each, uniformly bound in full marble calf, panels ruled in triple gilt fillet, board edges ruled in gilt, flat spine tooled in gilt with fleurons in compartments, burgundy calf labels lettered in gilt; marbled endpapers, text printed with tall ‘s’ on laid paper with letter “E” under fleur-de-lis watermark. Title-page: LE | MOYEN | DE | PARVENIR. | NOUVELLE ÉDITION, | Augmentée d'une Table sommaire | des Chapitres. | (in rules) Caritas inter jocosve regnat Moria. | TOME PREMIER / SECOND. | {fleuron} | A LONDRES. | — | M. DCC. LXXXI. || Collation 32mo, 1 flyleaf at the front and 1 at the rear in each vol. Vol. 1: πA6 b-e6 f2, A-Q6 R3 (i.e. 131 leaves); pp.: [i, ii] iii-lxiv, [1] 2-197 [198]. Vol. 2: π1 A-Y6, Z2 (i.e. 135 leaves); pp.: [2] [1] 2-267 [268]. Vol. 3: π1 A-Y6, Z2 2A1 (136); pp.: [2] [1] 2-270. Author: Béroalde de Verville, François (French, 1556 – 1626)
-
NEWHardcover, 132 x 86 mm boards, 127 x 78 mm block, full brown mottled calf bordered with triple gilt fillet, flat spine tooled in gilt, gilt fleurons in compartments, black title label with gilt lettering, board edge tooled gilt, gilt dentelle inside, marbled endpapers, “MK” and “EX-LIBRIS • YVES • REFOULÉ” bookplates to front pastedown (the latter by Picart after Georges Leone), block of watermarked laid paper (Van Gilder?), all edges gilt; text with tall ‘s’. Title-page: L'ARETIN | FRANÇOIS, | PAR UN MEMBRE | DE L'ACADÉMIE DES DAMES. | (in rules) J'appelle un Chat, un Chat. / BOILEAU. | {fleuron} | A LONDRES. | — | 1787. || Faux-t.p.: LES ÉPICES | DE VÉNUS | OU |PIECES DIVERSES | DU MÊME ACADEMICIEN. | (in rules) Les plus intolérans sont les plus vicieux. / ANONYME. | {fleuron} | A LONDRES. | — | 1787. || Collation 18mo: Two ffl at front and two at rear, [a1] h.t./blank, [a2] blank/frontis. stanza, frontispiece plate with guard, [a3] t.p./blank, [a4] advert., [a5] intro/blank; after that the structure is following: recto blank/octave stanza on verso, tissue guard, plate on recto, repeated 17 times, χ1 décima stanza ‘Résumé’ (subtotal 23 leaves unsigned, unpaginated); π2 (h.t., t.p.), A-D6 E3 (subtotal 29 leaves), paginated [4] 1-53 [54], plus one plate with guard oppos. p. 8. The total number is 23+29=52 leaves plus 19 plates with tissue guard each and 4 flyleaves. Plates were executed in etching and burin on copper plates by François-Rolland Elluin (French, 1745 – 1810) after Antoine Borel (French, 1743 – 1810). Catalogue raisonné: Fekete № 141; Dutel № A-99; Nordmann II №№ 396, 397; Eros invaincu № 3, p. 26; Cohen de Ricci pp. 89/90. Text attributed to: Nogaret, François-Félix (French, 1740 – 1831)
