Michel de Montaigne / Traducido por Charles Cotton - Montaigne's Essays - 1738

DESCRIPTION: I present at auction an extraordinary lot of two volumes (Volumes 1 and 3) of the renowned Essays by Michel de Montaigne, from 1738, translated into English by poet Charles Cotton.

Montaigne invented the essay form and revolutionized modern thought with his immortal skeptical motto: "Que sçay-je?" (What do I know?). Having in your hands this famous eighteenth-century translation is to possess a living piece of the history of Western philosophy.

IMPRESSIVE FRONTISPIECE ENGRAVING: DETAIL AND EXCEPTIONAL FINENESS

+ Exquisite Full-Page Portrait: Volume 1 opens with a monumental copper-engraved portrait of Montaigne. The engraving stands out for its dazzling precision in the weave of the lines: from the texture of the clothing and the crossed sash, to the perfect folds of the ruff and the human and ironic expressiveness of his face.

+ The Balance Emblem: Beneath the portrait is his famous motto printed within the balanced scale ("Que Scay-je"), engraved with surgical fineness.

+ Rarity of Preservation: Period engravings are often trimmed or lost with rebinding. Finding this frontispiece intact, with its full margins, without restorations and in such a clean and deeply impressed state, is truly extraordinary.

NOBLE HERALDIC EXLIBRIS: WILLIAM TREW

+ Period Armorial Engraving: The front inner cover houses a magnificent copper-engraved exlibris belonging to William Trew.

+ Fine Heraldic Detail: It shows a coat of arms topped by a stylized rose, a chevron with flowers and a field of ermine. An English aristocratic provenance mark that adds invaluable historical value and pedigree to these volumes.

The work is richly decorated inside with friezes, wood-engraved borders of urban landscapes, allegories, and beautiful historiated initials (such as the large 'T' flanked by vegetal motifs at the start of Chapter I).

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: London (England, United Kingdom) 1738

LANGUAGE: English

SIZE AND PAGE COUNT: Dimensions: 17 x 11 cm. Pagination: VOLUME I: [4] + Frontispiece + Title + [18] + 394 + [30] pp. VOLUME III: [4] + Title + IV + 402 + [32] pp. PRESERVES THE PORTRAIT OF MONTAIGNE

CONDITION: Original full-leather binding, in good condition, with some rubbing as shown in the photos. Spine with five raised bands decorated with gold lines and red morocco label. The interior is in good condition, with occasional watermarks at the end of Volume III, as shown in the photos.

RARE AND CROWDED ENGLISH EDITION OF MONTAIGNE. DO NOT MISS IT.

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