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two books sitting next to each other on a gray surfacean open book with a picture of a dragon on itan open book with a picture of a cat on it ' s covertwo old books that are sitting on a table
CONAN BELLEVILLE Hôtel d’Ainay

59 - LA BRUYERE (Jean de). The Characters of Theophrastus, transl…
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Estimate €2,000 - €3,000
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Description
LA BRUYERE (Jean de). The Characters of Theophrastus, translated from the Greek. With *The Translated Characters, or the Manners of This Century*. Paris, Etienne Michallet, 1688, in-12, speckled fawn calfskin, decorated ribbed spine, edges speckled with red, gilt roulette on the edges and inside, modern box (contemporary binding).A copy of the first state of the first edition. La Bruyère undoubtedly demanded revisions even before the publisher had had time to bind and sell the unboxed copies. Unboxed copies are extremely rare. A copy that is almost entirely unboxed. Only the reverse of folio M5 (p. 274) features the corrected version of the text. It should be noted that the recto of the same leaf (p. 273) corresponds to the original text. The copy held in the BNF’s reserve collection exhibits the same feature. The De Backer copy exhibits the same feature, with the addition of a cardboard cover, The copy would therefore appear to be an intermediate version (enclosed is a letter addressed to Mr Delorme by Mr Benjamin Ravier-Mazzocco, Curator of the Lyon Municipal Library, dated 2019, which supports this view). There is no errata sheet, which confirms that this is a very early print, like the one held by the Jean Bonna Library (no. 119, 2007). A fine copy. Some slight wear.
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About the sale A SCHOLAR-COLLECTOR’S LIBRARY Part 1: Old Books, 19th and 20th Centuries – Regionalism – Printed by La CORRERIE
Auction location
Auction time 10/13/2026 at 2:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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