A set of two volumes, one with the text (1) and another with the plates (2), cased in a red ‘romantic’ fitting box of red morocco, lavishly tooled in gilt, c. 1840, more recently adapted to house two books of different size. Vol.1: Hardcover volume, 22.4 x 14 cm, 8vo, bound in half black polished calf (late 19^th century) over marbled boards, spine and corners gilt-tooled, raised bands, gilt lozenges in compartments, gilt-lettered red morocco label; marbled endpapers; Francis M. G. Mauleverer armorial bookplate (motto “Deus Providebit”) to front pastedown. Printed on laid paper, Collation: 1 blank, engraved frontis., engraved t.p., A-Cc⁸ Dd², 1 blank; pagination:[1] 2-420. Vol. 2: Hardcover volume, 21 x 14 cm, bound in green straight-grain morocco (early 19^th century), boards with a roll-tooled palmette border, spine decorated in gilt, blue moiré endpapers, yellow feps, additional blank leaves: 2 in the front and 4 in the back, unpaginated; engraved frontis. and t.p. as in vol. 2, plus 35 plates now attributed to Delcroche printed on India paper, pasted on thicker leaves and bound in numerical order, but pl. 34 after pl. 35; As per Christie’s “The prints, sometimes attributed to de Hooghe, are actually by Delcroche, who illustrated a number of classics in the 1770s and 1780s, including Fanny Hill. AE and ABPC record only three copies of this edition at auction, including the Nordmann and Hayoit copies. Apollinaire Enfer, 277; Dutel A-15; Eros invaincu 16; Foxon Libertine Literature, NY: 1965, p.38; Gay-Lemonnyer I, 10; Pia Enfer, 346.” Contributors: Delcroche (Dutch, 17^th century), “artiste hollandaise”, nothing else is known. Dutel and Nordmann attribute the plates to Romeyn de Hooghe (Dutch, 1645 – 1708). Nicolas Chorier (French, 1612 –  1692) – author. Francis M. G. Mauleverer (British, 1918 – 1962) – provenance. Seller’s description: 2 vols in 8vo (215x125 and 204x117 mm), a complete but composite set, the text volume in late 19^th c. half black morocco, with corners, gilt spine tooled in gold, the plate volume in a nice early 19th-century green morocco binding, the spine gilt-tooled in compartments, the sides with a roll-tooled palmette border, pale blue moiré style endpapers (hinges repaired). Text vol.: engraved frontispiece, engr. title, pp. 420. Plates vol. comprising: the engraved title, frontispiece, and 35 engraved plates, probably by Delcroche. Both volumes cased in a ‘romantic’ fitting box binding, c. 1840, more recently adapted.

  Title page: RECUEIL | DE CONTES | ET | DE POEMES, | PAR M. D**. | CI-DEVANT MOUSQUETAIRE. | TROSIÉME ÉDITION | AUGUMENTÉE | DE L'HERMITAGE DE BEAUVAIS. | [device] | A LA HAYE, | Et se trouve à Paris, | Chez Delalain, Libraire, rue de la Comédie | Française. | — | M. D. CC. LXX. IRZA | ET MARSIS , | POËME, includes: L'isle merveilleuse, Poëme, Chant 1re et Chant 2nd, Invocation a La Fontaine, and Alphonse, Conte – Cohen and De Ricci (#317) describe 2nd edition by the same publisher, 1769, 77 p., with similar illustrations after Charles Eisen: (1) engraved title by Louis Claude Legrand (2) L’Isle 1er: Frontispiece by Joseph de Longueil, (3) headpiece and (4) tailpiece by Emmanuel de Ghendt, and (5) L’Isle 2nd: Frontispiece by Jean Massard, (6) headpiece by Emmanuel de Ghendt + (7) tailpiece unsigned. Les Cerises et la Méprise, Contes en vers – Cohen and De Ricci (#311) also describe the 2nd edition of 1769, with the same (8) frontispiece by De Longueil after Eisen. Sélim et Sélima, Poeme imité de l'allemand; L'hermitage de beauvais, Conte –Cohen and De Ricci (#322) describe edition of 1769 by Sébastien Jorry, with the same (9) frontispiece by Emmanuel de Ghendt after Eisen. Size: 18.6 x 12.3 cm, small 8vo. Binding: polished, multi-coloured stained calf with gilt triple fillet border to boards; gilt floral arabesque and gilt lettering to flat spine: "Oeuvres de Dorat | Contes"; all edges gilt; blue-and-white marbled endpapers. Pagination: ffl, [2] IRZA ET MARSIS engraved half-title / blank, [1-2] - RECUEIL title page / blank, 3-8 (avis sur cette édition); [1 - L'Isle...] 2-184, bfl; Illustrations (copperplate engravings): 5 plates, 2 headpieces and 2 tailpieces. Collation: Octavo; a⁸ (title and avis sur cette édition); A-L⁸, M⁴. Author of the text: Claude Joseph Dorat, (French, 1734 – 1780) Artist: Charles-Dominique-JosephEisen (French, 1720 – 1778) Engravers: Emmanuel Jean Nepomucène de Ghendt (French, 1738 – 1815) Louis Claude Legrand (French, 1723 – 1807) Joseph de Longueil (French, 1730 – 1792) Jean Massard (French, 1740 – 1822)  

Vol. 1: Collation: 8vo; π⁴ 1-9⁸ 10⁴ 11¹, (total 81 leaves), plus 22 plates, incl. frontispiece, each in two states, before and after lettering, (total 44 leaves of plates). Pagination: [i-v] vi-viii [1] 2-154, ils. Vol. 2:  Collation: 8vo; π² 1-11⁸ 12³, (total 93 leaves), plus 18 plates, each in two states, before and after lettering, (total 36 leaves of plates). Pagination: [4] [1] 2-182, ils. Binding: two volumes, 23.3 x 15.5 cm each, uniformly bound in red crushed morocco, raised bands and gilt lettering to spine, elaborate gilt dentelle inside, marbled endpapers; text printed on slightly blueish laid paper, two edges roughly trimmed, top edge gilt. Plates in two states, before lettering in black and with lettering in sepia, drawn and engraved/etched by Nicolas Ransonnette. Bookplates "Ex Libris Laurentii Aurrie" and another, lettered "D J T F", to front pastedown in both volumes. Catalogue raisonné: Lewine: 248; Cohen-deRicci: 502-3. Both Lewine and Cohen & de Ricci attribute “Aventures” to Diego Hurtado de Mendoza (Spanish, 1503 – 1575, whose authorship seems quite unlikely. Contributors: Nicolas Ransonnette (French, 1745 – 1810) – artist/engraver. Pierre-Nicolas Firmin Didot (French, 1769 – 1836) – publisher/printer. Jean Antoine de Charnes (French, 1641 – 1728) – translator. George De Backer (French, fl. 1691 – 1726) – translator/editor.