Antiquarian Books, Manuscripts and Erotica

See original version (French)

1. ALHOY (Maurice), Les Bagnes, Rochefort. Paris, Gagniard, 1830. In-8, iv, 324 p., green half-basin, smooth spine decorated (period binding). Mentioned as a second edition, but otherwise identical to the original published the same year, with a scene of convicts lithographed by the young Henri Gaugain (1802-1865) and coloured as a frontispiece. In 1827, the journalist Maurice Alhoy (1802-1856) visited the Rochefort penal colony, the main place of detention for convicts sentenced to forced labour before being deported to penal colonies such as French Guiana and New Caledonia. It describes inhuman treatment on the fringes of legality. The title page erroneously lists two engravings. Minor foxing and other minor defects.

2 [Almanac]. Set of 9 old almanacs, one from the 18th century and eight from the 19th century. Interiors correct, bindings worn, with major defects. Most of them bear a wet stamp of the chef de service de la Marine, Marseille. - Royal Almanac, leap year 1792. Paris, Testu. Marbled fawn basane, spine ribbed and decorated. One folding map of France. A few worm bites, mainly marginal, at the end of the book. - Almanach impérial. Paris, Guyot et Scribe. Years 1854, 1855, 1857. 3 volumes. Tan Basane, title page. - Almanach royal. Paris, Guyot, 1821. Fawn Basane, title page. - Almanach royal et national. Paris, Guyot and Scribe. Years 1838, 1844, 1845. 3 volumes. Fawn Basane, title page.

3. [Ana]. Collection of 14 bound volumes from the seventeenth, eighteenth and very early nineteenth centuries which form part of the compilatory series of bons mots: Santeuilliana (1717), Arnoldiana (1813), Bolaeana (1743), Sevigniana (1768), Maupeouana (1775, 4 volumes), Sorberiana (1691), Valesiana (1693), Huetiana (1723), Chevreau (1697), Longueruana (1754) and Arliquiniana (1694). Various states, generally good.

4. ANQUETIL (Louis Pierre). Histoire de France, depuis les Gaulois jusqu'à la fin de la monarchie. Paris, Garnery (Baudouin), An XIII (1805). 14 volumes in-12, marbled fawn basane, smooth spine decorated with gilt oak leaf, framed with gilt roulette on the boards (period binding). First and only edition published during the author's lifetime, bearing the dedication to Napoleon I. Good general condition, some spotting and light rubbing, other defects are minor. (Monglond, 1347)

5. [Provincial assemblies]. On the occasion of the centenary of the French Revolution, several French regions held provincial assemblies whose delegates met in Paris for a general assembly. This lot comprises 6 volumes on this event, bound in green half cloth with corners, decorated smooth spines and gilt heads: - Assemblée provinciale du Poitou. Poitiers, P. Oudin, 1889. - Assemblée provinciale de l'Orléanais. Orléans, H. Herluison & G. Michau, 1889. - Provincial Assembly of Lyonnais, Forez and Beaujolais. Lyon, Imprimerie du Salut public, 1889. - Compte-rendu des travaux de l'assemblée provinciale de Franche-Comté. Besançon, P. Jacquin, 1889. - Cahiers de plaintes et doléances des paroisses de la province du Maine pour les états généraux de 1789. Le Mans, E. Monnoyer (Paris, H. Champion), 1881. 2 vols. Minor defects, good general condition.

6. [Provincial Assemblies]. General assembly of delegates of the provincial assemblies of France. Paris, l'Assemblée générale, 1889. Gd in-8, lxxxviii, 284 p., glazed lavaliere half calf with corners, spine ribbed and decorated, double gilt fillet on spines, gilt head. Copy on BFK de Rives. To mark the centenary of the French Revolution, several French regions held provincial assemblies whose delegates met in Paris for a general assembly. Despite a certain bias (the regional delegates were appointed from among the great bourgeois and aristocrats), this collection offers an original look at the citizens' debates of 1889. Large epidermis on one corner, other minor defects.

7. [Astronomy]. Reunion of 3 bound 18th and 19th century works on the sidereal universe: - BAILLY DE MERLIEUX (Charles-François)]. Astronomie, cours d'études d'après les leçons publiques des professeurs. Paris, Baudoin, 1826. In-8, 208 p., pl. half-fauwn basane with ornate smooth spine. Publisher's letter on flyleaf. Essentially the course of F. Arago illustrated with 5 engraved plates hors-texte. A history of printing follows. Binding a little rubbed, some foxing. (Houzeau & Lancaster, 8157) - COULIER (Philippe Jean)]. Astronomy taught in 22 lessons, or the wonders of the heavens explained without the aid of mathematics. Paris, Audin, 1825. In-12, 502 p., plates, smooth-backed tan half-basket. The text, which is a translation by T. Squire, is illustrated with 8 hors-texte plates, several of which are folded. Binding rubbed, some foxing. (Houzeau & Lancaster, 8128). - LALANDE (Jérôme). Abrégé d'astronomie. Paris, Firmin Didot, 1795. In-8, xxx, 417 p., [1] p., pl. basane fauve racinée, spine lisse orné (contemporary binding). Second edition enlarged and illustrated with 16 folded plates. Binding rubbed with spotting, some foxing. (Houzeau & Lancaster, 8908)

8. AUBIGNE (Théodore-Agrippa d'). Les Avantures du baron de Foeneste, édition nouvelle, augmentée de plusieurs Remarques historiques, de l'Histoire secrete de l'Auteur écrite par lui-même, et de la Bibliotheque de Me Guillaume enrichie de Notes par Mr ***. Cologne, Héritiers de Pierre Marteau, 1729-1731. 2 vol. in-8, [17] f., clx, 113 p. ; 384 p., marbled fawn basane, spine ribbed and decorated. Reconstituted set: the second volume is in Amsterdam without name. Engraved frontispiece to the first volume. Bindings a little rubbed, volume II lacks the title page, some foxing. Attached: - BOUHOURS (Dominique)]. Les entretiens d'Ariste et d'Eugène. Paris, F. Delaulne, 1721. In-12, [4] f., 516 p., marbled fawn basane, spine ribbed and decorated. Bindings rubbed, headpieces worn, corners dulled, some foxing and other defects, overall fair condition. - CAMPISTRON (Jean Galbert de). Œuvres. Paris, P. & P.-J. Ribou, 1731. 2 vol. in-12, [5] f., 371 p. ; [5] f., 372 p., marbled fawn basane, spine ribbed and decorated. Ink stain and missing title-piece on binding of volume I, rings, marks and other minor defects. - VIGNEUL-MARVILLE (Bonaventure d'Argonne de). Mélanges d'histoire et de littérature. Rouen, A. Maurry, 1699. In-8, [1] f., 401 p., [17] p., marbled fawn basane, spine ribbed and decorated. Bindings rubbed, headpieces worn, corners dulled, marginal stains, other defects minor.

9. AUMALE (Henri d'Orléans, Duc d'). Histoire des princes de Condé pendant les XVIe et XVIIe siècles. Paris, Calmann Lévy, 1885-1896. 7 vol. in-8, aubergine half-chagrin with corners, gilt heads. The text is illustrated with 6 portraits, 2 plates and 8 maps. An erudite study of one of the most influential families of the French nobility by the Duc d'Aumale, himself a member of the royal Orléans family. The book traces the family's military, political and cultural contributions, highlighting figures such as Louis I de Bourbon, Prince de Condé, and his son Henri I de Bourbon, whose role was crucial during the Wars of Religion and the Fronde. This work is still consulted for its wealth of documentation. The last volume contains the volume devoted to the analytical table. Minor defects, good copy.

10. [Auvergne - Cantal]. Set of 13 books. - MARC (Gabriel). Poems from Auvergne. Paris, Charpentier, 1882. In-8, 268 p. printed on fine laid paper. Bound in green half-maroquin with corners, smooth spine decorated with gilt motifs and small mosaic flowers. Sent by the author to the historian Henry Houssaye. - VITOUX (Georges). L'auvergne artistique et littéraire. Paris, E. Le chevalier, 1888. In-8 paperback. - VALENTIN (Pierre). Buirette de Belloy. Sa vie- ses œuvres. Murat, Pichot-Duclos, s.d. In-8, br. Letter from the author to M. Boissonier, town councillor of St Flour. - Foulholes, its lords and its chapel. La langue usuelle de la haute société des montagnes au XVe siècle. Aurillac, Impr. Bancharel, 1907. Separate issue of La Revue de la Haute-Auvergne, bound in bradel half cloth, title page. - DES ROCHES (Jacques). Quelques toasts. Aurillac, Cantal républicain, 1932. Booklet printed in 100 copies. - LA SALLE DE ROCHEMAURE (Duc de). Les troubadours cantaliens. Aurillac, Imprimerie moderne, 1910. 2 vol. in-8, bradel blue half cloth with corners. Titles in burgundy morocco. Illustrations in and out of the text. The author was a majoral of the félibrige. Work with author's mailing. - BASSERRE (Madeleine). Le Cantal. Agricultural and pastoral economy. Aurillac, impr. moderne, 1928. In-8 br. ill. - FRAIPONT (G.). L'Auvergne. Paris, Laurens, s.d. In-8, illus. publisher's paperback (faded). - VAQUIER (F.). J.-B. Veyre le poète de Saint-Simon. Paris, Estampe et Duquenoy, s.d. A 40 p. in-8 booklet which is the transcription of the conference given by Vaquier to the Société des Gooudots, and which offers some texts by Veyre in Aurillacois. Sold for 1 franc in aid of the erection of a monument to the poet. J.-B. Veyre (1798-1876) was one of the most popular and working-class poets of the late 19th century. His work bears witness to a popular culture in the Auvergne language, an Occitan dialect of Aurillac. - Plus 2 maps and 2 Auvergne almanacs.

11. BALZAC (Honoré de). Intellectual history of Louis Lambert. Paris, C. Gosselin, 1833. In-12, 264 p., glazed Empire green morocco, ornate ribbed spine, ornate and gilt framing on covers, romantic iron pushed in cold on covers, gilt fillet on edges, inner gilt roulette, gilt edges. First separate and much enlarged edition of this text, which appeared the previous year in the Nouveaux Contes philosophiques. In this initiatory fiction, Balzac illustrates the idea that thought can kill the man who thinks, while presenting a specific way of doing philosophy. It's hardly surprising, then, that readers in 1832 were drawn to the first version of the text and urged Balzac to explore it further. In this new version, Balzac develops the character of Louis Lambert as a philosopher whose thoughts become a destructive force, symbolising the never-ending quest for truth and authenticity. Slight rubbing to the binding but numerous brown spots. (Talvart & Place, I, 152-27; Lovenjoul, 191).

12. BALZAC (Honoré de). La Comédie humaine. Œuvres complètes. Paris, Houssiaux, 1855-1877. 20 vol. in-8, illustrated with h.-t. engravings. Later binding, russet half-basin, spine ribbed with cold fillets, gilt fleurons in the boxes, red and black morocco title-pieces. The work is complete with its volumes, but is composed of different issues. The five volumes of the 1877 edition have been bound (early XXIst century binding) in such a way as to copy the binding of the other volumes (early XXth century binding), both in terms of the colour of the leather and the title and tombs, and in terms of the decoration itself. The finials differ slightly, but the overall impression is one of homogeneity. However, the gilder of the second type of binding did not respect the code of tomaisons of the first, which can cause headaches. The work has not been collated, but the general condition is good, with some foxing, light rubbing on certain volumes and dull corners. The illustration of this work, entirely wood-engraved, is remarkable, consisting of out-of-text subjects with captions, drawn by the greatest artists of the time: Tony Johannot, Meissonier, Gavarni, Henri Monnier, Bertall, C. Nanteuil, etc. (Carteret, III, 58).

13. BARANTE (Prosper de). History of the Dukes of Burgundy of the House of Valois. 1364-1477. Paris, Duféy, 1837. 12 vol. in-8, bradel aubergine striped, smooth spine decorated (period binding). Fifth edition on laid paper and first illustrated with hors-texte plates, the engravings on chine pasted on, and folded maps. Barante explores the successive reigns of the dukes, their policies, alliances and conflicts and their impact on medieval Europe. Good overall condition, small deposits to be cleaned in the gutter of the spine ends, some minor foxing and blemishes.

14. BATTEUX (Charles). Principes abrégés de la littérature à l'usage des élèves de l'école militaire. Paris, Nyon, 1784. 3 vols. in-12 marbled fawn basane, smooth spine decorated. Enclosed: FLOTTE (Jean Sylvestre). Leçons élémentaires de philosophie. Paris, Bruno-Labbé, 1826. 3 vol. in-12 marbled fawn basane, smooth spine decorated.

15. BEAUMONT (Edouard de), PERRAULT (Charles). Cinderella and The two Gifts. Asnières, Boussod Valadon, 1886-1887. 34 leaves in publisher's printed cloth folder with flaps. This edition, illustrated with engravings reproducing the 33 delightful watercolours by Edouard de Beaumont, appeared simultaneously in French and English. The stories in question are Cinderella and The Fairies. The date on the folder is 1887, but the press proof is dated December 1886. The print run of these works would have been limited to 200 copies on strong vellum.

16. [Beautifully bound]. Reunion of 3 remarkably bound devotional works: - L'Imitation de Jésus-Christ. Paris, Le Fuel, s.d. (circa 1840). In-12, long-grained red morocco, smooth ornate spine, floral roulette frame on covers, fillet on edges, gilt Greek frieze inside, gilt edges. Slight wear. - Missale Romanum. Metz, H. Dessain, 1893. Gd in-8 red morocco, spine ribbed and decorated, boards decorated with a gilt frame with lace, gilt iron with cross in the centre of the boards, fillet on the edges, inner gilt lace, gilt edges, 3 tabis (out of 6). A few marks on the boards and other minor defects. - Roman parishioner. Tours, A. Mame, 1872. In-16, royal blue morocco, spine with false-nerves richly decorated with gilt and inlays, boards richly decorated with gilt lace framing, inlays and floral irons in ecoinçons, fillets on the edges, gilt lace inside, gilt edges. Gap between frontispiece and title page, other defects are minor.

17. BERCE (Jean-Etienne). Lépidoptères, faune entomologique français. Paris, Deyrolle, 1867-1878. 6 volumes in-12, vi, 251 p. ; viii, 270 p., [1] p. ; viii, 256 p. ; 262 p. ; x, 512 p. ; 398 p., pl. aubergine half-chagrin, spine ribbed and decorated. First edition illustrated with 67 hand-coloured plates of butterflies by Théophile Deyrolle and black plates (out of 78 after Nissen). Copy often annotated with handwritten remarks. Reversal of quire at the beginning of volume III, one black plate detached, paper missing from the flyleaf of volume I, 11 plates according to Nissen, some foxing and minor defects. (Nissen 318).

18. BOSQUET (Amélie). La Normandie romanesque et merveilleuse, traditions, légendes et superstitions populaires de cette province. Paris, J. Techener (Rouen, A. Le Brument), 1845. In-8, viii, xvi, 519 p., [1] p., green half-basin, smooth spine decorated. First edition of this work by Amélie Bosquet (1815-1904), which combines documentary rigour (with the help of the curator of the Rouen Library) and literary sensitivity, and is part of the Romantic movement while anticipating modern ethnographic studies. The work stands out for its ambitious structure: after three chapters on the legendary dukes of Normandy (such as Robert le Diable), it explores popular beliefs: fairies, sorcerers, fabulous animals, fantastic hunts, child abductions and substitutions, elves and hidden treasures, Druidic monuments, werewolves, spirits of nature, revenants, possessions, etc. Bosquet avoids the picturesque, but also explores the mysterious and the mysterious. Bosquet avoids facile picturesqueness, underlining with typical Norman irony the gap between these tales and rising rationality. His method combines meticulous gathering from the inhabitants ("all the old tales that the people like to retell") and critical analysis, making the work both a collection of fantastic literature and a reflection on the social function of myths. Binding rubbed with spotting, other minor defects. (Frère, I, 131).

19. BOYER DE SAINTE-SUZANNE (Victor-Emile-Charles). Les Intendants de la généralité d'Amiens (Picardie et Artois). Paris, P. Dupont, 1865. Fort in-8, 611 p., plates, fawn morocco, spine ribbed and decorated, triple gilt fillet on covers, crowned numeral in spandrels, double fillet on edges, gilt lace inside, gilt edges (Trautz-Bauzonnet). First edition in a remarkable binding signed and produced by the bookbinding workshop of Georges Trautz and Antoine Bauzonnet. A copy preserved by the author's family, containing an albumen print of his portrait pasted to the verso of a flyleaf. Other albumen prints of portraits engraved as hors-texte plates. The copy is full of 5 handwritten letters mounted on tabs to be bound with the body of the book. These are letters of thanks for sending the book, signed by Philippe de Bosredon du Pont, Victor Duruy, and other personalities of the Second Empire. The first letter, dated 17 October 1865, reads: "Yesterday I was able to give your work to His Majesty: the Emperor asked me if it was well done and interesting? I answered in the affirmative and said only what I thought. The colour of the spine has darkened, a few light fungal spots on the boards, the other defects are minor, a fine copy.

20. BOYER DE SAINTE-SUZANNE (Victor-Emile-Charles). Les Intendants de la généralité d'Amiens (Picardie et Artois). Paris, P. Dupont, 1865. Fort in-8, 611 p., green chagrin with corners, richly decorated spine, double gilt fillet on spines. First edition on laid paper. Boards a little rubbed, other defects are minor.

21. BOYER DE SAINTE-SUZANNE (Victor-Emile-Charles). Mélanges. Red half-maroquin with corners, spine decorated. Factitious collection of various pamphlets written by Boyer de Sainte-Suzanne, including : Inauguration solemn d'une colonie agricole à la Grande-Trappe (1854), Organisation du chant dans l'arrondissement de Sceaux (1867), Le Général Daumesnil (1868), Le Maistre de Bellejamme (s.d.), Les Opérations préliminaires de l'appel ou le tirage au sort (1858), etc. Lacks of leather to the binding and split ends, other minor defects.

22. BOYER DE SAINTE-SUZANNE (Victor-Emile-Charles). Notes d'un curieux. Monaco, Journal de Monaco, 1878. Gd in-8, 434 p., [2] f., half fawn morocco, title-pieces on spine, original cover preserved. An unusual work, only 300 numbered copies were printed on laid paper. The baron shares with us what he has noticed most unusual in the theatre actors of ancient Rome, in Cardinal Mazarin's inventory, in the administrators of the ancien régime, in the tapestries woven from high or low heald, etc. It also contains a wealth of correspondence between the baron and his wife. There is also a wealth of correspondence between Charles Nodier and Jean Debry.

23. BOYER DE SAINTE-SUZANNE (Victor-Emile-Charles). Notes d'un curieux. Monaco, Journal de Monaco, 1878. Gd in-8, 434 p., [2] f., red half-chagrin with corners, ornate ribbed spine, double gilt fillet on spines, gilt head, original cover preserved. An unusual work, only 300 numbered copies were printed on laid paper. The baron gives us what he has noticed most unusual in the theatre actors of ancient Rome, in the inventory of Cardinal Mazarin, in the administrators of the ancien régime, in the tapestries woven from high or low heald, etc.. There is also a wealth of correspondence between Charles Nodier and Jean Debry. A copy with an ex-dono, the addressee of which has been scratched out, and with a letter from the publisher to Raymond de Boyer de Sainte-Suzanne in which he informs him that his grandfather's handwritten notes were recovered more than fifteen years ago by Jolivet, secretary to the government.

24. BOYER DE SAINTE-SUZANNE (Victor-Emile-Charles). Aperçu sigillographique des archives départementales de la Somme. Amiens, Lemer, 1863. In-8, 27 p., plates, havana half calf with corners. Offprint on large paper, illustrated with a hors-texte plate and with an albumen print of the seal reproduced on the plate. Armorial bookplate affixed to the back cover of Baron Victor-Emile-Charles de Boyer de Sainte-Suzanne (1824-1884), Prefect of the Empire and Governor General of the Principality of Monaco. Binding slightly rubbed.

25. BOYER DE SAINTE-SUZANNE (Victor-Emile-Charles). De l'art dramatique et des divisions du théâtre antique. Amiens, E. Yvert, 1861. In-8, 46 p., plates, havana half calf with corners. Copy of the 34 pages of the original edition to which have been added additional pages containing press cuttings relating to the subject and the author. Armorial bookplate affixed to the back cover of Baron Emile-Victor-Charles de Boyer de Sainte-Suzanne (1824-1884), Prefect of the Empire and Governor General of the Principality of Monaco. Binding slightly rubbed, a few marks or foxing.

26. BOYER DE SAINTE-SUZANNE (Victor-Emile-Charles). Classification of 14th and 15th century French coins found in the communes of Beaufay and Moulicent, arrondissement of Mortagne, Orne. Mortagne, Loncin & Daupeley, 1858. In-8, 44 p., green half-chagrin with corners, gilt fillet on spines. Only 100 copies of this monograph were printed. Minor defects.

27. BOYER DE SAINTE-SUZANNE (Victor-Emile-Charles). Recueil de presse. In-folio, 213 p., brown morocco, ribbed spine decorated with a crowned numeral, boards decorated with cold frames and the crowned numeral gilt on the spandrels, double gilt fillet on the edges, inner gilt lace (Galette). A collection of numerous press cuttings and a few handwritten letters tracing the career of Victor-Emile-Charles de Boyer de Sainte-Suzanne (1824-1884), illustrating the typical career of a senior civil servant of the Second Empire and early Third Republic, who held various prefectoral posts before taking up a prestigious position in Monaco at the end of his career. Working in various sub-prefectures, he was Prefect of Aube from 1869 to 1870 and then Governor of the Principality of Monaco from 1875 to 1884. In addition to his administrative duties, he was a prolific scholar and author. Binding slightly rubbed.

28. BOYER DE SAINTE-SUZANNE (Victor-Emile-Charles). Observations on the method of distribution and sub-distribution of the military contingent. Amiens, T. Jeune, 1860. Small folio, 23 p., [9] f., fawn half-calf with corners, ornate ribbed spine, gilt fillets on spines, gilt head. In this work, printed in a small number, Boyer de Sainte-Suzanne proposes that the number of young men recognised as fit for service should be used as the basis for allocating the army conscription quota, rather than the number of those registered. The idea was to avoid emptying certain cantons of their agricultural and industrial workforce to the benefit of other cantons less affected. Several pieces of correspondence are bound together: a letter of refusal from the Ministry of War and 3 LAS from Marshal of France Jean-Baptiste Philibert Vaillant (1790-1872), who was much more favourable to the proposal. The work is full of other letters and handwritten notes. Provenance: the author himself, attested by the armorial bookplate affixed to the back cover of Baron Emile-Victor-Charles de Boyer de Sainte-Suzanne (1824-1884), Prefect of the Empire and Governor General of the Principality of Monaco. Binding slightly rubbed.

29. BREARD (Charles). Le vieux Honfleur et ses marins, biographies et récits maritimes. Rouen, Cagniard (L. Gy), 1897. In-8, 374 p., blue half-chagrin with corners, spine ribbed and decorated, gilt fillet on spines. First edition illustrated with an etching by François Courboin (1865-1926). Some brown spots.

30. [Bruneteau de Sainte Suzanne]. Baron Bruneteau de Sainte Suzanne (Alexandre-François). Composite collection (29 x 21 cm), [4] f. v., [45] f., [4] f. v., stiff vellum with smooth decorated spine, framed with triple gilt fillet on the boards, gilt crowned numerals struck in the spandrels, guilloche edges, gilt roulette inside, A remarkable collection of documents relating to the life of Alexandre-François de Sainte Suzanne (1769-1853): a handwritten biographical note, a printed biographical note, a manuscript genealogical certification (1775), a handwritten document on stamped paper of the generality of Champagne (1675), a handwritten document of admission to the military school (1781), a printed mathematics examination subject (1788), two handwritten accessits (1789), nomination de chirurgien ds armées à entête de la république française (An IX), une nomination manuscrite au poste de sous-préfet (an XI), un extrait imprimé du bulletin des lois (an XII), un décret impérial de nomination au poste de préfet (1806), an imperial decision appointing him to the post of prefect (1810), a handwritten elevation to the title of Baron of the Empire (1811), a certificate of the Legion of Honour (1814), an imperial decision appointing him to the post of prefect (1815), a royal decision appointing him to the post of prefect (1831), a handwritten elevation to the title of Officer of the Legion of Honour (1833), a handwritten appointment to the title of Conseiller d'Etat (1833), a printed obituary, a handwritten biography of the descendants and two travelled envelopes with beautiful postmarks. All the documents have been bound on openwork paper to facilitate the elegance of the binding. Armorial bookplate affixed to the back cover of Baron Emile-Victor-Charles de Boyer de Sainte-Suzanne (1824-1884), Prefect of the Empire and Governor General of the Principality of Monaco. A few traces of fungus on the cover, other defects are minor.

31. CALWER (Carl Gustav). Käferbuch, Naturgeschichte der Käfer Europa's zum Handgebrauche für Sammler. Stuttgart, J. Hoffmann, s.d. (1893). Gd. in-8, lix, 722 p., havana half-chagrin, spine decorated. Treatise in German containing detailed descriptions of numerous species of beetles found in Europe, with 48 colour plates each containing several dozen specimens to aid identification. Inscription on flyleaf, title page and stamp on title, other minor defects. (Nissen, 790 but collation differs).

32. CARACCIOLI (Louis Antoine). La jouissance de soi-même. Francfort, Liège et Bruxelles, Bassompierre, Van den Berghen, 1761. In-12, later binding signed in green morocco, very ornate ribbed spine, toothed frame, triple framing of gilt fillets on the boards, small iron lace with filigree motifs on the boards, fillet on the edges, guilloche headpieces. Large inner lace, all edges gilt (Chatel).

33. [Maps]. Set of 8 folding maps of geography published by Féret in Bordeaux, to which a map of France is attached. The maps consist of 21 parts each, printed in colour and are canvas-backed. They were produced in accordance with the decision of the Gironde General Council of 23 August 1875. Their scale is 1:40,000. The maps in this set are Saint Vivien (2.1), Valeyrac and Donnezac (2.2), Blaye (6), La réole (8), Libourne and Guitres (11), Sainte Foy (12), Monségur (16), Belin (18). Some maps have their cloth torn. A hand-coloured fold-out map of France is included. Carte de la France routière ou nouveau guide des voyageurs... drawn up and published by Lallemand, n.d. (Between 1860 and 1870). France then had 89 departments.

34. [Illustrated boards]. Set of 7 large in-8 volumes in good condition (the defects remain minor) illustrated by Raoul de LA Nézière, Henry Morin, etc.. : L'Enfant de la lune by J. Mairet, les Entrailles de la terre by E. Caustier, la Vallée fumante by L. Claretie, Il était une fois by S. Lapointe, Voyage à dos de baleine by A. Brown, Jeanne d'Arc by G. Goyau and Contes bleus de ma mère grand by C. Robert-Dumas.

35. [CHABANON (Michel Paul Gui de). Observations sur la musique et principalement sur la métaphysique de l'art. Paris, Pissot, 1779 (bound in suite:) COQUEAU (Claude-Philibert). Entretiens sur l'état actuel de l'Opéra de Paris. Amsterdam (Paris, Esprit), 1779. In-8, xx, 215 p., vi, 174 p., half-fawn morocco, smooth spine with t.d.p. Two important works for music, yet uncommon, to which a third opus by Claude-Philibert Coquéau (1755-1794), 48 pages uncropped, is interspersed: Suite des Entretiens sur l'état actuel de l'Opéra de Paris, ou Lettres à M. S , without place or date, probably around 1779. Note also that the first work by Michel Paul Guy de Chabanon (1730-1792) seems to call for a second part, which was never published. These two authors were trying to shake up conservative musical lines: the first by arguing against the idea that music should necessarily imitate nature or have a descriptive function, and the second by criticising Gluck and his tricks of building success on rather weak musical compositions. Bindings rubbed, headpieces worn, corners dulled, some foxing, marginal exergues in pencil, other defects minor. (Fétis, II, 244 & 356).

36. CHANTELAUZE (Régis de). Mémoires de Philippe de Commynes, new revised edition based on a manuscript that belonged to Diane de Poitiers and the Montmorency-Luxembourg family. Paris, Firmin-Didot, 1881. Gd in-8, xiii, [1] f., 789 p., blue half-maroquin with corners, gilt head. One of 100 numbered copies on papier de cuve and illustrated with numerous woodcuts and 4 chromolithographs. The defects are minor. Also included: HUGO (A.) France pittoresque ou description pittoresque, topographique et statistique des départements et colonies de la France. Paris, Delloye, 1835. 3 vol. gd. in-8, bradel of striated green paper with roulette frame on boards. Minor defects, not collated.

37. CHANTREAU (Pierre-Nicolas). Elémens d'histoire militaire, contenant toutes les notions nécessaires à l'intelligence de l'histoire militaire des peuples, avec un précis historique et chronologique des guerres qu'ils ont entrepris depuis l'ère des Olympiades jusqu'au traité de Tilsitt. Paris, A. Costes, 1808. In-8, iii, [3] p., 698 p., 48 p. (chronology of the wars), fawn half-bas. with ornate smooth spine (contemporary binding). First edition of an unusual work, illustrated with 4 folded plates. Unlike many military accounts of the period, which often focused on the heroic and glorious aspects of conflicts, Pierre-Nicolas Chantreau (1741-1808) adopts a more historical and rational approach. He examines the causes and consequences of battles, technological innovations and tactical developments. Binding slightly rubbed, brown stain on last few leaves, other minor defects. (Pohler, I, 4).

38. CHAPELLE (Claude Emmanuel Luillier dit) & BACHAUMONT (Louis Petit de). Voyage de Messieurs de Bachaumont et La Chapelle, où l'on a joint diverses poésies du même auteur, avec une préface qui contient, plusieurs particularités remarquables de sa vie et une idée générale de ses principaux ouvrages. Cologne, P. Marteau, 1697. Small in-12, viii, 152 p. brown basane, spine ribbed. Chapelle and Bachaumont's trip to the thermal waters of Encausse-les-Thermes in Haute-Garonne to cure their stomach ailments quickly turns into a humorous and gastronomic account. Binding a little rubbed, headpieces and corners worn away, other minor defects.

39. [Hunting]. Set of 3 books. - TOUSSENEL (Alphonse). L'esprit des bêtes. Vénerie française et zoologie passionnelle. Paris, Librairie sociétaire, 1847. In-8, xvi p., 414 p., 1 f. of catalogue, havana half-basin. Binding rubbed. First edition. (Thiébaud, 904) - DIGUET (Charles). Le Livre du Chasseur. Drawings by Riballier. Paris, Fayard, s. d (1881). In-8, xii p., 464 p., numerous figs, half calf. Last leaf and endpaper detached. Some foxing, fair condition. - TERNIER (Louis) & MASSE (Fernand). Wild ducks and their congeners. Their migrations, their description, and their hunting by day and by night, in front of you, in boats, in huts and in gabions. Paris, Firmin-Didot, s.d. (1908). Gd in-8, xxii p., (1) f., 751 p., contemporary half-bound in brown basane, illustrated with a frontispiece and numerous illustrations in the text. First edition. First inner hinge cracked. First edition, rare, says Thiébaud (Thiébaud, 884).

40. CLEMENT (Pierre). Reunion of 4 historical works in-12 by this author, identically bound in green half-chagrin: - Gabrielle de Rochechouart de Mortemart. Paris, Didier, 1871. Port. in front. Some foxing. - L'Italie en 1761, relation d'un voyage du marquis de Seignelay. Paris, Didier, 1867. Some foxing. - La Police sous Louis XIV. Paris, Didier, 1866. Some foxing. - Madame de Montespan and Louis XIV. Paris, Didier, 1868. Some foxing.

41. [COLBERT-CHABANAIS (Napoléon Joseph de). Etudes sur la Révolution française, letters addressed to an elector of the arrondissement of Mantes. Paris, Béthune & Plon, 1845. In-8, 228 p., glazed havana calf, ribbed spine with title-pieces, triple gilt fillet on the boards, gilt fillet on the edges and inner gilt lace (Bauzonnet-Trautz). Uncommon work in a binding signed Trautz-Bauzonnet. Published during the July Monarchy (1830-1848), this text appeared at a time when France was oscillating between its revolutionary heritage and monarchical stability. In it, Napoléon-Joseph Colbert (1805-1883), Marquis de Chabanais and then Member of Parliament for Calvados, offered a forward-looking analysis based on the past. The work was part of the debates leading up to the 1848 revolution, and sought to learn from the lessons of 1789 to avoid further upheaval while preserving the liberal gains. His membership of the Colbert family, several of whose members had served the state since Louis XIV, is reflected in his organicist vision of the nation. The work combines criticism of revolutionary excesses with defence of institutional reforms, reflecting the tensions of an Orleanist elite faced with the rise of democratic demands. Spine slightly rubbed, ghost mark on front cover, some foxing.

42. CONDORCET (Nicolas de). Esquisse d'un tableau historique des progrès de l'esprit humain. Paris, Agasse, An III (1795). In-8, viii, 389 p., fawn half-basin with smooth spine (contemporary binding). Second edition, same year as the original, of this posthumous work by Condorcet which he wrote in hiding during the proscription of the Girondins. Centred on the "indefinite perfectibility" of humanity, it defends the idea that scientific, moral and political progress follows a linear trajectory guided by reason. Condorcet analyses the decisive advances (writing, printing, the scientific method) and the obstacles (religious and feudal tyrannies), while prophesying a future society in which equality between nations, social justice and universal education would triumph. Binding slightly rubbed (Monglond, 535).

43. [Conciles]. Reunion of 2 illustrated works by Jacques Lenfant in the original quarto edition: - LENFANT (Jacques). History of the Council of Pisa. Amsterdam, P. Humbert, 1724. 2 volumes in one vol. in-4, liii, 366 p., 327 p., [33] p., (table), fawn basane, spine ribbed and decorated. First edition illustrated with 15 portraits and one hors-texte numismatic plate by Jacob Houbraken and Bernard Picart after several artists. Binding rubbed with slight leather tears, other minor defects. - LENFANT (Jacques). History of the Council of Constance. Amsterdam, P. Humbert, 1714. 2 vols. in-4, xlviii, 432 p. ; 384 p. (433-816), fawn basane, spine ribbed and decorated. First edition illustrated with 19 portraits by Bernard Picart after several artists. Binding rubbed with slight loss of leather, some foxing, other minor defects. Provenance: attested by an armorial red wax stamp affixed to the back cover.

44. DEBRY (Jean). Factitious collection of speeches and reports produced by Jean Debry during his mandates as deputy to the National Legislative Assembly, the National Convention or the Council of Five Hundred. Paris, Imprimerie nationale, 1791-1802. 2 vol. in-8, green half calf with ornate smooth spine. This appears to be a fairly comprehensive collection of speeches by the tribune Jean Debry (1760-1834), who became involved in politics at a very early age, holding various deputy posts between 1791 and 1801, notably at the Assemblée nationale législative, the Convention nationale, the Conseil des Cinq-Cents and the Tribunat. He played an active role in the revolutionary events, notably voting for the death of Louis XVI and participating in the Thermidorian reaction. Under the Directoire, Debry continued his political rise, becoming President of the Conseil des Cinq-Cents and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Congress of Rastatt. He supported Napoleon Bonaparte's coup d'état in 1799 and was appointed Prefect of Doubs under the First Empire, before being dismissed during the First Restoration in 1814. Joints cracked, some minor defects.

45. DELILLE (Jacques). L'Imagination, poëme. Paris, P. Didot l'aîné, 1816. 2 volumes in 1 small vol. in-4, 226 p., [3] f., 263 p., long-grained midnight blue morocco, richly ornamented spine, gilt frieze on covers with palm motifs, guilloche edges, gilt roulette inside, purple tabis endpapers, gilt edges (François Bozérian). Posthumous edition of the poem L'Imagination by Jacques Delille (1738-1813), in which the imagination is celebrated as a creative faculty capable of transcending the limits of reality and opening up infinite horizons of beauty and truth. It is illustrated with a frontispiece after Robert engraved by Geissler, accompanied by historical and literary notes and augmented by five hundred new verses. Copy in a remarkable binding signed on the spine by François Bozérian, known as le jeune. The binding has a superficial scratch on the back cover and slight rubbing or impacts that are not serious, the vellum paper is sometimes uniformly scorched, the other defects are minor.

46. DELISLE DE SALES (Jean Baptiste Claude). De la nature, ou traité de morale pour le genre humain, tiré de la philosophie et fondé sur la nature. London, s.n., 1789. 7 vols. in-8, clxlii, 256 p. ; 2 p., 351 p. ; 2 p., 404 p. ; 3 p., 422 p., 3 p. ; 452 p. ; 3 p., 419 p. ; 4 p., 413 p., pl., glazed fawn calf with smooth spine decorated with the horn of plenty iron, gilt roulette frame on the boards, guillochées edges (contemporary binding). This ambitious philosophical work by Delisle de Sales (1741-1816) attempts to create a moral code for the human race based on philosophy and nature, reflecting the concerns of the Enlightenment. Considered "impious" and "very dangerous" by several critics of his time, the treatise earned the author a sentence of perpetual banishment by order of the Châtelet. The text is illustrated with 7 title vignettes, 1 frontispiece and 12 hors-texte plates by Monnet. Provenance: from the library of Jean Debry (1760-1834), attested by his bookplate engraved with the imperial eagle pasted on the back cover. Jean Debry was a deputy at the Convention, where he voted for the death of Louis XVI, and a member of the Comité de salut public before coming into contact with Bonaparte and being re-elected to the Cinq-Cents. He cooperated in the coup d'état of Floréal and was appointed Prefect of Doubs. During the Hundred Days, he accepted the prefecture of Bas-Rhin from the Emperor, but was dismissed during the Second Restoration and exiled to Mons, where he lived out his remaining years. Bindings slightly rubbed, spines sunned, small leather loss at head of volume IV, other defects minor. (Cohen, 281 but with a different collation).

47. DELORT (Joseph). Histoire de la détention des philosophes et des gens de lettres à la Bastille et à Vincennes, précédée de celle de Foucquet, de Pellisson et de Lauzun, avec tous les documents authentiques et inédits. Paris, F. Didot, 1829. 3 vols. in-8, ii, 340 p.; v, 362 p.; 324 p., fawn half-calf with ornate smooth spines (period binding). It was at his grocer's that Joseph Delort found bundles of paper that had been saved from the flames of the Bastille. He wrote a most curious chronicle, illustrated with three lithographs by Jean François Villain (1790 - circa 1853) as well as a portrait of Henri Masers de Latude, which is discussed at length. Spine a little rubbed, numerous brown spots.

48. DELORT (Joseph). Mes voyages aux environs de Paris. Paris, Picart-Dubois, 1821. 2 vols. in-8, vi, 322p. ; [2] f., 235 p., pl., havana half calf, smooth spine decorated. First edition illustrated with numerous engraved plates, most of them folded, which are maps, views or facsimiles.