François-Marie Arouet, dit Voltaire - Histoire de l'Empire de Russie, sous Pierre le Grand - 1772

Rare edition of this historical narrative, written by Voltaire at the request of the Russian court, which recounts the epic of Peter I and his modernization efforts for the Empire. This edition brings together the two volumes in one volume, detailing the structural reforms and the great military victories that solidified Russian power in Europe -

The work first describes the old state of Russia before the arrival of Peter the Great, an empire still marked by isolation, feudal traditions, the influence of the Orthodox clergy, and the technical and administrative lag compared with the great Western powers -

Voltaire then presents the sovereign’s youth, his intellectual curiosity, his taste for the sciences, the mechanical arts and navigation, and his will to break with the archaic customs of his country -

The narrative emphasizes at length Peter’s travels in Western Europe where he studied naval techniques, military organization, commerce and modern institutions in order to import these knowledges into Russia -

François-Marie Arouet, called Voltaire - History of the Empire of Russia, under Peter the Great - 1772 - Neuchâtel -
538 pages.

Good condition of the binding, the work in its full calf meshed leather of the period, wear from use, some minor defects on the boards and spine, lower cap missing, spine and corners worn, marbled edges, spine with gilt-ornamented raised bands, gilded title on a morocco inlay -

Good interior condition, browning, beautiful vignette on the title page, pretty headbands, tailpieces, fine initial, enriched with a portrait-frontispiece engraved, signed E. Danzel sculp., endpapers in fair condition, edition carefully produced -

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