Rare first edition, complete with its cosmology plate engraved on copper by Juan Dolivar (1641-1692). With a wood-engraved ornament on the title (bouquet of flowers), tailpieces, bands, and ornate letters. There are pagination errors (page 301 is numbered 303, and page 339 is numbered 349) relating to this edition. The extract of the royal privilege of January 9, 1686, registered on January 22, 1686, is granted to the widow of Claude Blageart (ca 1614-1686), who shares it with Thomas Amaulry (ca 1650-1725). It is divided into five "evenings", a sixth "evening" will be published with the edition of 1687‎

Contemporary binding, porphyry sheepskin. Back with nerves decorated with golden irons. Casters on the cups. Speckled slices. - Rubbed caps, slight scuffing of the leather on both covers. Pierced corners. Solid volume. Clean interior, board well preserved. Good copy.

In 1686, Fontenelle published his famous book on the Plurality of Worlds, composed of five interviews, his first and real title at the Academy of Sciences. The work had a prodigious success, and was translated into all languages. Fontenelle added to his book, the following year, a sixth interview. One cannot dispute the useful novelty of his design, and the pleasure with which he expounds it. It was a beautiful and happy idea to teach people in the world that they could penetrate into the sciences without too heroic efforts, and even take as much pleasure in it as in reading L'Astrée; it was still a happy idea to prove to the scholars that they could make themselves heard by people of the world; and no one has ever brought more clarity, precision and elegance to the explanation of a science that had hitherto only been produced with the help of mathematical language". (Pierre Larousse)

Very rare copy of the first edition of the famous essay on astronomy published by Fontenelle.

Bernard Le Bouyer de Fontenelle
Interviews on the plurality of worlds
Printed in Paris; And sold in Lyon, Chez T. Amaulry, 1686
in-12 (15 x 9 cm); 13ff. 1 pl. 359pp.

Subject: Rare EO 1686 Fontenelle Interviews Plurality of Worlds Astronomy