L’Utopie de Thomas Morus, Chancelier d’Angleterre; idée ingenieuse pour remedier au malheur des hommes; & pour leur procurer une felicité complette. Cet ouvrage contient le plan d’une république dont les lois, les usages, & les Coutumes tendent uniquement `a faire faire aux societez humaines le passage de la vie dans toute la douceur imaginable. République, qui deviendra infalliblement réelle, des que lès mortels se conduiront par la raison. Traduit nouvellement en François par Mr. Gueudeville & ornée de tres belles figures.
Leiden: Pierre van der Aa, 1715. First edition of this translation, the third into French (Others had appeared in 1550 and 1643), of More’s major work. It contains all the plates; that at K2, depicting “a man and a woman in state of nature approving each other before marriage” (Gibson) is often removed. In our copy, the couple’s nakedness has instead been obscured with smears of ink. Engraved frontispiece and sixteen fine engraved plates, one engraved headband. Title printed in red and black. Joints starting to crack near foot of spine, preliminary and terminal leaf lightly browned. Otherwise a very good copy. With the engraved armorial bookplate of Jean-Pierre de Bougainville (1722-1769), who was secretary of the Académie Française from 1749, and who was associated with many of their publications. His library was auctioned in a ten-day sale in August, 1769. Contemporary mottled calf, gilt-decorated spine with burgundy morocco spine label, edges stained red. Twelvemo. [cxlvi], 372 + 48 pp. publisher’s catalogue. Item #13132
The lengthy introduction includes an account of More’s life, the original preface by the author, and a letter to More from the humanist Jerome Busleiden.
Gibson 22a. See Copleston, History of Philosophy, III, 320ff.
Price: $950.00