FR EN
1 / 8
a brown book with a gold emblem on itan old book sitting on top of a wooden table next to a white wallan old brown book with a gold design on the coveran old book with writing on it sitting on top of a tablea book that is sitting on top of a tablean open book sitting on top of a table next to a white wallleather bound book on white surface with white backgroundan open book with a black and white image of letters on it
KÂ- MONDO / KAPANDJI MORHANGE

126 - [GRAFFIGNY, Françoise de]. Letters from a Peruvian Woman.
See original version (French)

Estimate €200 - €300
Sale commission
Description
[GRAFFIGNY, Françoise de]. Letters from a Peruvian Woman. Peine [Paris], no publisher, no date [c. 1747] Small 12mo (14 x 8 cm), havana calfskin, upper cover bearing the coat of arms (Lullin), ribbed spine, compartments decorated with a spider’s web pattern. Red edges. Contemporary binding. XII-336 pp. Interior slightly yellowed. Two pasted-in bookplates (Julien Félix and A. Perreau). A rare counterfeit edition of one of the famous literary works of the 18th century, placed on the Index on 28 July 1765. It was printed clandestinely by the Widow Pissot, under the false imprint ‘A Peine’, in 1747. A salon author known for *La Nouvelle espagnole* and *La Princesse Azerolle*, published in 1745 and later republished under the sole name of the Comte de Caylus, Françoise de Graffigny (Nancy, 1695–Paris, 1758) made a name for herself and became an author in her own right in 1747 with *Lettres d’une Péruvienne*. Comprising 38 letters, this epistolary novel draws heavily on Montesquieu’s *Persian Letters*. It was a European success thanks to translations into English, Italian and then Spanish, which soon proliferated. A young Peruvian woman, exiled to Paris when her country fell under Spanish rule, writes to a distant fiancé: having arrived in a world unknown to her, she gradually made her way into it and succeeded in learning its customs. The author blends social satire with a writing style of frenzied verve. A fine example of a contemporary binding in havana calfskin, bearing the coat of arms of Lullin (Haute-Savoie): Or, a castle Argent herse de sable, supported by a crescent also Argent.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale Collectors’ books for sale – First editions – Illustrated editions – Varia IV
Auction location
Auction time 11/02/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like