Virgilio - Oeuvres de Virgile - 1736

Virgil's works in France, or the Latin majesty tamed for the educated reader of the early 18th century.
Refined 18th-century edition of the complete works of Virgil in French translation with Latin text facing, designed for an educated audience and now fully integrated into the enlightened atmosphere of the first half of the 18th century. The work combines didactic aims, literary taste, and encyclopedic ambition through a set of historical and geographical notes that guide the reader in understanding the ancient world. The presence of engravings and typographical ornaments confirms the intention to offer a Virgil not only to study but to possess and contemplate as a foundational classic of European civilization.
Market value
In the antique market, complete Parisian editions of Virgil with French translation and Latin facing pages, dated to 1736 and preserved in contemporary binding, generally range between 500 and 1,500 euros, with higher prices for complete two-volume copies, well preserved and with intact iconographic apparatus. The value is supported by the relatively late date, yet still fully collectible, by the Parisian typographic quality, and by the interest in the great French translations of Latin classics in the 18th century.

Physical description and condition
Two volumes with contemporary binding in full brown leather, with spine richly decorated in gold, panels with gilded titles. Pages with some moisture stains. Large print repeatedly folded representing New Carthage. In ancient books, with a multi-century history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (2); 28nn; 364; 12nn; (4). (4); 2nn; 362; (4).

Full title and author
The Works of Virgil
Paris, at the residence of Gregoire Dupuis, 1736.
Publio Virgilio Marone

Context and Significance
This 1736 edition reflects the full assimilation of Virgil into the educational and moral canon of modern Europe. In the context of early eighteenth-century France, the Latin poet is now read not only as an imperial author but as a model of balance, rationality, and order, in tune with pre-illuminist sensibilities. The Latin text facing the translation preserves its philological function, while the elegant and controlled French translation responds to an ideal of clarity and accessibility. The historical and geographical notes transform the work into a tool of cultural mediation, making the Aeneid and other works a moral and political repertoire for the modern reader.

Biography of the Author
Publius Vergilius Maro was born in Andes, near Mantua, in 70 BC and died in Brindisi in 19 BC. The greatest poet of the Augustan age, author of the Bucolics, Georgics, and Aeneid, he exerted an unbroken influence on European culture, becoming a model of style, ethics, and political vision from the Middle Ages to the modern age.

Printing history and circulation
Printed in Paris at Grégoire Dupuis, rue Saint-Jacques, in 1736, the edition is part of the long French editorial tradition dedicated to Virgil. The division into two volumes responds to readability and manageability needs, typical of editions aimed at an educated audience but not exclusively academic. Collation, format, and total number of pages: to be verified with certainty based on bibliographic sources or directly on the copy.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Brunet, manual for booksellers and book lovers, featuring Virgil.
French Collective Catalogue (CCFr), eighteenth-century editions of Virgilio, Paris.
WorldCat, The Works of Virgil, translated by La Landelle des Remys, Paris, Dupuis, 1736.