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Maître Paul PASTAUD

973 - MIRABEAU (Honoré Gabriel Riquetti, Count of). The Secret His…
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Estimate €100 - €120
Sale commission
Description
MIRABEAU (Honoré Gabriel Riquetti, Count of). The Secret History of the Court of Berlin, or Correspondence of a French Traveller, from 5 July 1786 to 19 January 1787. Posthumous work (sic). Basel, Switzerland: G. Tomassin, 1789. 2 vols. in-8, paperback, (2)-VIII-203 pp.; (2)-247 pp., contemporary covers. New edition published in the same year as the original. Published by Le Jay and printed in Alençon. Following the announcement in August 1788 of the Estates-General, Mirabeau, driven by the desire to play a role amongst the aristocrats, needed to own a fiefdom, which he intended to acquire swiftly. Being short of money, the publication of some of his manuscripts offered a means of raising funds: Le Jay decided to print the secret correspondence written by Mirabeau from Berlin to the Abbé de Périgord. Mirabeau disavowed the work, which, according to Quérard (VI, 158), is ‘an indiscreet revelation of Mirabeau’s diplomatic manoeuvres, written in a spirit of bitter criticism (in which) Emperor Joseph II, the King of Prussia and, above all, Prince Henri, who was then in Paris, were treated very harshly in this work. Louis XVI felt he owed an apology to the diplomatic corps, and this libel was condemned by Parliament to be burnt by the executioner’s hand”. Caillet (7588) points out that the work contains some highly intriguing revelations about Freemasonry in the 18th century, particularly in Prussia.
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About the sale MONTIGNAC – 31st BOOK SALE – Day 2 of 4 – Nos. 550 to 1084
Auction location
Auction time 08/20/2026 at 11:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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