Erasme & M. Gueudeville - L'Eloge de la Folie - 1771

Rarest illustrated edition of this major Renaissance satirical and philosophical work, conceived as a fictitious speech delivered by Folly herself -

In this allegorical form, the author offers a penetrating critique of the morals, institutions and intellectual pretensions of his era. Folly, the central character and narrator, asserts her fundamental role in human life, claiming that without her there would be neither happiness, nor ambition, nor a true society -

This ironic device allows Erasmus to subtly denounce the hypocrisies of the clergy, the excesses of scholasticism, the vanity of scholars, the pride of princes and the illusions that govern human relationships -

The work blends humor, classical erudition and moral reflection, drawing on numerous references to Antiquity to strengthen its intellectual reach. Behind the apparent lightness of tone lies a profound critique of religious and social abuses, foreshadowing some intellectual tensions of the Reformation -

Erasmus & M. Gueudeville - The Praise of Folly - 1771 -
222 Pages.

Good condition of the binding, the work in its full period brown calf, wear from use, some minor defects on boards and spine, lower cap missing, foxing on corners and edges, beautiful marbled edges, smooth decorated spine, gold lettering on a morocco inlay –

Good interior condition, browning, losses of material at a flyleaf, title page printed in red and black, pretty headbands in illustration form, beautiful drop cap, the work enriched with fine black engravings outside the text including a frontispiece, marbled endpapers in decent condition, good copy –

Delivery service guaranteed within a few days -