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an old book with a black and white title on itthree books sitting on top of each other on a white surface
Maître Paul PASTAUD

1131 - RESTIF DE LA BRETONNE (Nicolas-Edme). *The Corrupted Peasant…
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Estimate €350 - €400
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Description
RESTIF DE LA BRETONNE (Nicolas-Edme). *The Corrupted Peasant, or The Dangers of the City*. A recent tale, brought to light on the basis of the characters’ actual letters. La Haie, and published in Paris by Esprit, 1776 (1780). 8 parts in 4 vols. in-12, vj pp., [1] f., 294 pp., ; 315 pp. ; title page, 324 pp. ; 228 pp., fawn-coloured grained sheepskin, smooth spines decorated with garlands, gilded fillets and fleurons, green title and volume number labels, gilded fillet and garland framing on the covers, marbled edges (early 19th-century binding). Foxing, sometimes extensive. The collation is in every respect consistent with the edition described by Rives Childs under his number XIV-9, including the pagination errors and the reference to ‘Part One’ [instead of: Part Three] at the beginning of Volume II. This copy is therefore a counterfeit of the third edition, printed by Restif in 1780 (under the false date of 1776, which was consistently retained). Published without engravings, the publisher included some of the plates with certain copies he sold; however, this is not the case with this copy. In fact, the 82 engravings by Binet illustrating this title were not completed until 1782. They were sold separately; copies containing all of them are therefore extremely rare, and, above all, this edition was printed before the completion of the said plates. Regarded as the first naturalist novel, *Le Paysan perverti* marks a turning point in French literature and is Restif’s most famous work. (Rives Childs, XIV-9 (pp. 235–36); Lacroix, who is rife with confusion and errors regarding this title, is virtually unusable for *Le Paysan perverti*.)
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About the sale MONTIGNAC – 31st BOOK SALE – Day 3 of 4 – Nos. 1085 to 1642
Auction location
Auction time 08/21/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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