Abbé Auger - Isocrate - 1782

ISOCRATES (Abbé AUGER, translator)
Collection of Ancient Moralist Writings, dedicated to the king. Moral thoughts of Isocrates, drawn from his works, and translated by Mr. Abbot Auger.
In Paris, at Didot l’aîné, Printer of the Clergy, and De Bure l’aîné, 1782.

Volume in-16 (144 pp.) bound in full pale calf of the period, covers framed by a delicate gilded fillet, smooth spine adorned with gilded fillets and fleurons, title piece in black morocco, flyleaves in plain blue paper, edges gilt.

A fresh and aesthetically pleasing exemplar, set in a very elegant full-period calf binding with barely rubbed corners and tips, equipped with superb blue guards and bright gilded edges. The interior is remarkably clean, showing only very light, sporadic traces of oxidation on the first leaves, testifying to the meticulous care lavished by bibliophiles on this prestigious royal collection.

Launched under the auspices of Louis XVI and entrusted to the care of the era’s greatest printers, such as Firmin-Didot and De Bure, the “Collection des moralistes anciens” was the jewel of aristocratic libraries on the eve of the Revolution. Courtiers and scholars snapped up these pocket-sized volumes to tuck them into their frock coats, drawing on Stoic and Grecian wisdom to weather political turmoil with calm, turning each volume into an object of high intellectual distinction and absolute refinement.