1 / 8
Photo 1/8 du lotPhoto 2/8 du lotPhoto 3/8 du lotPhoto 4/8 du lotPhoto 5/8 du lotPhoto 6/8 du lotPhoto 7/8 du lotPhoto 8/8 du lot
Featured lot selected by the auctions House.
Premium Carrère et Laborie

95 - VOLTAIRE: Complete Works. Printed by the Société Littéraire …
See original version (French)

Estimate €800 - €1,200
Sale commission
Description
VOLTAIRE: Complete Works. Printed by the Société Littéraire Typographique, 1785. 70 vols. in-8, in contemporary root-tanned calfskin, plain decorated spine, gilt scrolls framing the covers, marbled edges. (a few very slight flaws to some caps and corners, some foxing). A fine edition of Voltaire’s complete works, known as the ‘Khel’ edition, the most famous and sought-after of its kind. It is printed on laid paper and bears the date 1785, with the exception of the 70th volume, which is dated 1789. It contains letters and writings in their original edition. It owes its name to the fortress in the town of Khel, a small German town very close to Strasbourg, where the printing presses were set up to evade censorship. Initially planned by Voltaire and the publisher Panckoucke, it was Beaumarchais who took charge of its editing and printing. To this end, he purchased Baskerville’s typefaces and three mills in the Vosges for paper production. It is adorned with a portrait of Voltaire by N. de Largillière, engraved by Tardieu. A second portrait, after Quentin de La Tour and engraved by Langlois, appears at the head of the 16th volume, and a third in the 32nd volume, drawn after Houdon by Moreau the Younger, engraved by Tardieu and dated 1784. It also includes a map in the 24th volume (History of Russia) and 14 plates in the 31st volume on physics. This copy lacks the remaining plates by Moreau the Younger, as well as the portrait of Frederick of Prussia. A fine copy nonetheless.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale Ancient and modern books and manuscripts
Auction location
Auction time 06/26/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like