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three books are sitting on top of each other on a tablethree books are stacked on top of each other on a tablea stack of green books sitting on top of a tablethree books are stacked on top of each other on a tableseveral open books on a table with a black backgroundtwo open books sitting on a wooden tablea book open on a wooden table with a black and white picture
Hôtel des Ventes de Clermont-Ferrand

67 - CUSTINE (A.-L.-L., Marquis de).
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Estimate €200 - €300
Sale commission
Description
CUSTINE (A.-L.-L., Marquis de). Russia in 1839. Paris, Amyot, 1843; 4 volumes, in-8. 2 ff.-XXXI-354 pp. 2 ff.-416 pp. 2 ff.-470 pp. 2 ff.-544 pp. – genealogical table in volume 4. Green half-basane, plain spines, gilt roundels. (Contemporary bindings). – A few slight scuffs, a small old repair on the half-title and title page of volume 1 (possibly caused by the bookbinder?); Spines split over 3 cm on volumes 3 & 4; no foxing. First edition. A second edition and a Belgian pirated edition were published in the same year. *Russia in 1839* is the Marquis de Custine’s masterpiece. Undertaken to personally champion the cause of his friend Ignace Gurowski, this account proved to be a revelation. Faced with the appalling spectacle of Russian society laid bare before his analysis, Custine—an aristocrat at heart—becomes a sort of revolutionary “in the face of servitude and, even more so, the terrifying silence within which an entire people is walled in”. “Despotism is never so fearsome as when it claims to do good, for then it believes it can excuse its most revolting acts by its intentions!” “When your son is unhappy in France, use my remedy: tell him, ‘Go to Russia’.” “It is a worthwhile journey. Anyone who has truly seen that country will be glad to live anywhere else!” (In French in the text, no. 262). The book was a great success in France and was banned in Russia.
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About the sale ANTIQUE AND MODERN BOOKS at 11.00 am and 2.00 pm
Auction location
Auction time 10/29/2026 at 11:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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