La bruyere

1881 · 013031 — Paris: Librarie Des Bibliophiles. Very Good. 1881. Hardcover. Rebound two-volume set of Les Caracteres or The Characters by Jean de La Bruyere in French. Gray cloth covered boards over blue leather spine have gilt stripe on the front and back covers and gilt title on the spine and gilt top on the text block. This edition is number 297 of 500 printed on Hollande paper. Both volumes show minor shelfwear and faded spines. Volume I has a faint dampstain along the top edge of the cover and along one half of the spine. Volume II has minor chipping on the head cap and along the back edge of the spine. Interior pages of both books are lightly browned with age and occasional minor soil markings. Table of Contents title page and front wraps have been bound as the last three pages of each volume. First published in 1688 the tome is part philosophy part satire and part classical translation of Greek philosopher Theophrastus. Les Caracteres was La Bruyere's greatest work which he revised several times in his lifetime and is a critique of class disparaties in aristocratic society. ; 16mo 6" - 7" tall . Librarie Des Bibliophiles hardcover