"A very beautiful edition, rare and sought after" (Cohen)
Fables Nouvelles, Dédiées Au Roy. Par M. De La Motte, de l'Academie Francoise. Avec Un Discours Sur La Fable. A Paris, Chez Gregoire Dupuis, MDCCXIX.
New Fables, Dedicated to the King. By M. de La Motte, of the French Academy. With a Discourse on the Fable. In Paris, Published by Grégoire Dupuis, 1719.
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A copy with wide margins was recently offered at Sotheby's with an estimate of £1,200-£1,800 (July 14th 2020 lot 122), and a similar copy sold in France for 500 EUR, where it was interestingly described thus "First edition of the first illustrated book of the 18th century. The illustration consists of a frontispiece by Coypel engraved by Tardieu, a title vignette by Vleughel engraved by Simoneau, and 101 vignettes by Coypel, Gillot, Edelinck, and B. Picart" (translated).
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Size: 204 x 260 mm (approx.)
Condition:
[(frontis, t.p., 4pp., iii-xlii, 358pp., 2pp., (1)].
Full brown calf with gilt title to the spine in a compartment between raised bands. Binding lightly rubbed and scuffed, with more wear to the extremities. Both boards attached with very minor wear to joints and hinges cracked, thus somewhat fragile. Shelf and edge wear. Red page edges dulled. No attached bookplates. Lacking front blank if called for. Edge toning as commensurate with the full leather binding as well as some marks to pastedowns. Some marks to the reverse of the frontispiece. Text block very clean with edge toning and occasional foxing. Rear blank partially detached at the top.
[OCLC 265614067; Cohen 594].
