Le Tasse (Torquato Tasso)/Marilier - Jérusalem Délivrée - 1777

LE TASSE. — JERUSALEM DELIVERED (GENEVA, 1777).
Geneva [Paris], 1777.
2 volumes in-18. Full red morocco of the period, smooth back, gilt dentelles on the edges, gilt edges.

Charming and precious miniature edition of the great chivalric and Christian epic by Tasso on the First Crusade and the Deliverance of the Tomb of Christ.
In the refined taste of the late eighteenth century, this edition is aimed at connoisseurs of elegant “portable libraries,” dressed here in a luxury red morocco with delicate ferrets, typical of the work of Parisian masters binders of the Louis XVI era.

Very fine condition for a pocket format in morocco from the eighteenth century. Red leather very sound, with warm tones, retaining a splendid shine. Gilding of the spines and the borders of the boards perfectly sharp. Old ink spots. Very clean interiors on handmade (vergé) paper, with scattered old damp-stains; complete with the engraved frontispiece by Marillier and De Launay.

In the Enlightenment century, Jerusalem Delivered was read and reread in boudoirs. To that end, publishers offered in-18 format editions that could be easily slipped into a case.

Morocco bindings on small formats are infinitely rarer to encounter than on large in-8 or in-4 formats, as the pocket size has generally suffered heavy wear from handling.