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Moralistes anciens


Collection des moralistes anciens dédiée au Roi

178280 x 130 mm

BEAUTIFUL COLLECTIVE EDITION
Copies on fine paper
Luxurious contemporary binding

450 €

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Literature Copy on large paper

Description

BEAUTIFUL COLLECTIVE EDITION.

In 1781, François-Ambroise Didot sought royal approval to publish the Manual of Epictetusthe first volume in a new collection dedicated to the King: collection of Ancient Moralists.
After approval was granted on 15 October 1781, the work was published at the beginning of 1782 - on Mercure de France gave an account of the event in its issue of 2 March 1782.
The collection was no longer dedicated to the King after the Revolution and was taken over by Pierre Didot in 1794. Published for fifteen years, it comprised 18 volumes, including several reprints and variants.

In addition to an edition on standard paper, the title page of which bears Didot's typographical mark, there was an edition on wove paper limited to twelve copies (at least for the volumes printed in 1782 and 1783) and an edition on fine paper, the first title page of which (this edition has two) bears the arms of Louis XVI.

These copies are printed on fine paperall the title pages are decorated with the arms of Louis XVI. Manual of Epictetus includes the letter "To the King"andOpinion"reserved for this print run.

The 5 volumes in this set correspond to books 1, 2, 9, 11 and 12 of the collection.

HANDSOME SET, LUXURIOUSLY BOUND IN CONTEMPORARY MOROCCO ATTRIBUTABLE TO DERÔME.

See the full article on the website "Doucet, illustrators, Didot and others...". source of this notice, which we have collated below:

  • Book 1: Architect's Manual 139 pp. translated by M. Naigeon. The volume comprises 140 pages, plus the notice pages, inserted between the general title and the title of the volume. The Preliminary speech, which introduces the work, occupies the first 69 pages; it is followed, on page 70, by the approval, dated 15 October 1781; the Manuel begins on page 71.
  • Book 2: Moral thoughts and Confucius [175 pp] collected and translated from Latin by M. Levesque. The 175-page volume also begins with a preliminary speech entitled " On the philosophy of the Chinese "on page 46, followed by a reminder of " the life of Confucius "up to page 62. On the last page is the approval, dated 11 December 1781.
  • Book 9: Theophrastus' characters and menander's moral thoughts. [153 pp] translated by M. Levesque. The 153-page volume begins with the " Life of Theophrastus "From page 127 to page 132 we find the Moral Thoughts of Theophastes. Menander's Pensées Morales begins on page 133, with a new title - the Life of Menander occupying pages 135 to 139 - the Pensées pages 141 to 153.
  • Book 11: Socrates' memorable talks - Volume 1 [202 pp] translated from the Greek of Xenophon by M. Levesque. Volume I. The volume, of 202 pages, has no introduction. Its printing date, on the title page, is curiously 1782.
  • Book 12: The memorable talks of Socrates - Volume 2 [234 pp] translated from the Greek of Xenophon by M. Levesque. Tome Second. This volume of 234 pages is dated 1783; it ends with the approval, dated 4 January 1784.
Paris,Didot,1782.5In-12, Bound,80 x 130 mm,

Period bindings. Wine lees morocco, smooth spines decorated with gilt fleurons and fillets, gilt titles, borders decorated with friezes, friezes on the edges, all edges gilt. Bookmarks.

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Ancient moralists

Collection of old moralists

La Collection of ancient moralists (in French; "Collection de vieux moralistes") is one of the French kings of the time - d. H. Louis XVI (1754-1793), the last king of the Ancien Régime - a series of old french books moralists ("dedicated to the king"), published in Paris from 1782 to 1795 ( Didot l'aîné, et De Bure l'aîné"), initially from 1782 to 1785. In the years 1794-1795 - the king had meanwhile been executed - four further volumes were published. In all, eighteen volumes of the series were published.

The series includes Epictetus , Confucius miscellaneous Chinese authors , Isocrates , Seneca , Cicero , Theophrast , Ménandre , Socrates (after Xenophon ), Theognis , Phokylides , Pythagoras Greek sage, Jesus - Christ and apostles , Apophthegma de the Lacedemonians (from Plutarch), Plutarch Life and Apophthegm of Greek philosophers .

The collaborating translators were Jacques-André Naigeon (1738-1810), Pierre-Charles Levesque (1736-1812) and Athanase Auger (1734-1792).

The translations do not always come directly from the original ancient languages. For example, Pierre-Charles Levesque translates from Latin and Russian in the volume on the various Chinese authors ( Moral thoughts from various Chinese authors ) .

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