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an old book with a handwritten letter on it and a picture of a bird
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141 - Jean-Charles-Léonard Simonde de SISMONDI (1773–1842).
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Estimate €500 - €700
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Description
Jean-Charles-Léonard Simonde de SISMONDI (1773–1842). Letter from the author, Chênes near Geneva, 22 January 1842; 3 pages, in-8. On his *History of the French*. He recalls meeting his correspondent in the spring of 1838, and the interest the latter had already shown in his work. Regarding his *History of the French*, he is pleased to see that the correspondent approves of ‘my impartiality towards Louis XIV. In fact, I had not adopted any preconceived system; I did not wish to establish or justify any opinion; I simply let myself be guided by the impressions and conclusions that the study of the facts suggested to me as I went along. ‘But, Sir, you wish to encourage me to carry this work on to the period I have witnessed with my own eyes’; yet he does not know whether he will reach the goal he has set himself, ‘although I am working with desperate zeal. I am utterly weary of it. I am approaching seventy, I have been ill for twenty months, and I am struggling against constant suffering. That I might live to see the death of Louis XV is all I desire; others will deal better than I with the times when they will have to rely more on their own memories than on printed documents. That would be an entirely new undertaking for me, and I am too old to learn the ropes’…
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About the sale Letters and Autograph Manuscripts – Part I
Auction location
Auction time 10/13/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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