Voltaire - Siècles de Louis XIV et de Louis XV - 1815

It is the spectacle of France’s grand centuries, brushed by Voltaire’s sparkling prose and immortalized by the typographic rigor of the Didots. But more than a monument of literary history, this complete five-volume set is a delight for the eye and the mind, a masterpiece of material elegance preserved in the brilliance of its original cradle.

Printed in 1815, at the dawn of a new era, these precious small in-18 volumes embody the pinnacle of book art under the Restoration. Clad in a purple morocco with a deep and majestic grain, these bindings speak immediately to the heart of the discerning bibliophile. Each cover is surrounded by a rich gilt rule with palmettes in a classic inspiration, framing a field of imperial red. The flat backs, adorned with fleurons delicately struck with small tools and with titles stamped in gold leaf, catch the light with sovereign grace. The three edges, all gilt, still sparkle when the volumes are assembled on a table or in the display cabinet of a cabinet of curiosities.

Inside, the clarity of the stereotype process patented by Firmin Didot offers exemplary legibility on paper with a fine substance, preserved from the ravages of time with remarkable freshness. Cruising through these pages is to touch the spirit of the Enlightenment embedded in the know-how of the greatest book artisans of the nineteenth century.

Some additional bibliographic details that are largely found in the advertisement:
Author: VOLTAIRE (François-Marie Arouet)
Title: Siècles de Louis XIV, et de Louis XV
Edition: Paris, Pierre et Firmin Didot, 1815. Stereotype Edition.
Collation: Complete in 5 volumes (approximately 1,500 pages in total).
Format: In-18 (about 13.5 x 8 cm).
Binding: Full purple-red morocco/veau d’époque, gilt edges, gilt rulings and fleuron ornaments.
State: Remarkable overall conservation. The leather is supple and sound, the gilding very bright. Corners solid, interiors very clean with only a few rare and discreet usage foxmarks.

An ensemble of singular rarity in such a condition of ornamentation, ready to become the centerpiece of a discerning collection or the first treasure for a lover of eternal beauty."