Paris, 1791. xxv, 440, lxi (author index), 22 pp (printed price list). In a lovely full calf binding, spine gold tooled and covers with gold filet. (binding unsigned but Bozérian?). (Ex-libris A. le Marchechal Beauvais on inside front cover).

A lovely copy of this catalogue that is scarce on the market, which contains both the author index and the list of prices realised, that are absent from many copies. The collection was formed by Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau (1749-1791). Mirabeau's early death interrupted his plan to form a kind of universal library, to be open to all scholars and researchers. He started realizing it "with the same impetuosity which ruled all his activities" (Renouard): in eleven months, according to the preface to the catalogue, he formed the above collection; its most important component was the library of Comte de Buffon (1707-1788), the great naturalist, which he had acquired. Many of these books, catalogued as lots 1,128-1,418, had autograph annotations by Buffon which are noted. [c.f Peignot; Bogeng; Taylor p. 145; Blogie II, col. 18; Graesse II, p.72; North 353. Grolier 353, Bibl. Breslaueriana].

Rare books from 1791 - Page 27 ← 1790 1791 1792 →

About viaLibri

Account

Searching

More

Rare books from 1791 - Page 27
← 1790 1791 1792 →