La Fontaine Contes

Collectif : La Fontaine, Theis, Bretin, Nogaret, Voltaire, Vergier, Senece, Perrault, Moncrif, Ducerceau, Grecourt, Saint-Lambert, Champfort, Piron, Dorat, La Monnoye, Francois de Neufchateau: Les Conteurs Galants des XVIIe & XVIIIe siecles : Contes & Nouvelles en Vers de Jean de La Fontaine - Le Fond du Sac, Recueil de Contes en Vers - Contes & Nouvelles en Vers / Complet en 6 Volumes, .
Propose ici dans une belle reliure romantique, cet ensemble complet en 6 Volumes des Conteurs Galants des XVIIe & XVIIIe siecles, contenterons aussi bien l'oeil que l'esprit. Dans ces ouvrages collectifs, l'on retrouve toute la douceur et la poesie, dont savaient se servir ces auteurs pour parler des choses de l'amour et du libertinage, outre le plaisir de la lecture, ces ouvrages sont illustres avec finesse et delicatesse par 149 petites gravures en taille-douce... A lire avec gourmandise...

Ouvrages ornes de 149 Gravures en taille-douce, dont 2 en Frontispice par Duplessis-Bertaux, et de nombreux Bandeaux et Culs-de-lampe en noir, in & hors-texte - A Paris - Chez A. Le Vasseur & Cie editeurs - Edition 1894 - In-12 (11,5 x 17,5 cm) - Complet : 3 Titres en 6 Volumes - Contes et Nouvelles en Vers de La Fontaine (2 vol.) : 268 pages & 309 pages + portrait de La Fontaine en Frontispice / Le Fond du Sac (2 vol.) : 199 pages & 197 pages + frontispice / Contes et Nouvelles en Vers (2 vol.) : 208 pages & 210 pages - Reliures demi basane bleu, tres legerement frottees - Dos lisses, coiffes tres legerement frottees (petit manque en tete sur 1 volume), decors romantique, titres et tomaisons dores - Tranches de tetes dorees - Couvertures d'origine vertes gaufrees a motifs floraux conservees, titres en rouge - Rousseurs disparates - Tres bon etat general - Attention Poids : 2310 gr.

[SW: Curiosa, Litterature, XVIIIe Siecle, XVIIe Siecle, Livres Anciens, Contes]

Details

LA FONTAINE, [Jean] de. Contes et nouvelles en vers. Amsterdam (=Paris), (Duchesne), 1762.
Splendid copy of one of the most famous editions of the stories and novels by Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695).Jean de La Fontaine's <I>Contes et Nouvelles</I> were at the time probably even more popular then his fables. Based on Boccaccio, La Fontaines tales consist of all sorts of exemplary stories, fairy tales and popular tales, they also contained a lesson or moral at the end. In the oldest collections from the East, like the Bidpai or the<I> Thousand and One Nights</I>, fables and fairy tales were freely mixed together, and also in the early West European collections, like the Exempla or the History of the Seven Wise Men of Rome, the various moralizing genres of fables, allegories and fairy tales were all present together. Still, La Fontaine's Contes et Nouvelles were more intended for the amusement of a gallant company than for the education of youth, often containing spicy 'exotic' and erotic elements.Our copy is of the so called 'Fermiers-Generaux' edition. In 1762 La Fontaine was commissioned by the 'farmers-general', or tax-farmers, a large and powerful group of men who collected the indirect taxes levied by the French crown. Nothing was spared to produce ''a fitting monument to the tax-farmers' wealth and position" and contains 71 Contes et nouvelles and other writings. The last 5 stories are not by La Fontaine:<I> La Couturiere, Le Gascon </I>and <I>La Cruche</I> are by Autereau; Promettre est un et tenir est un autre by Vergier and Le Rossignol which is attributed to Lamblin or to Du Trousset de Valincourt. Furthermore the <I>Dissertation sur la Joconde</I> at the end of the first volume, is by Boileau. The portrait of La Fontaine in the first volume is designed by Hyacinthe Rigaud and engraved by Ficquet, who also engraved the portrait of Charles Eisen after Vispre in the second volume. Eisen (1720-1778) on his turn is the designer of the 80 engraved plates illustrating the stories. He was one of the acknowledged masters of French rococo book illustration and these 80 designs are his finest work. "The robustness and voloptuous sensuality of his plates capture the flavor of the original Boccaccio from whom La Fontaine took his these tales, yet the precision and delicacy of their execution saves them from vulgarity." (Leslie A. Morris in <I>Visions of a collector</I>). His designs were engraved by Aliamet, Baquoy, Choffard, Delafosse, Flipart, Lemire, Leveau, de Longueil and Ouvrier. Pierre-Philippe Choffard (1730?-1809) also engraved the vignettes and head- and tailpieces, which wittily comment on the events in every preceding tale. In the second volume, the last tailpiece is a portrait of Choffard. Volume one contains an extra loose, refused engraving that depicts a scene of the fable <I>Le calendrier des Vieillards</I>.
Beautiful copy.
Cohen-De Ricci, pp. 558-68; Leslie A. Morris in: Visions of a collector (Washington 1991), p. 277-9; Lewine, pp. 278-80.

2 vols. 8vo. Contemporary red morocco, spine with gilt flowers and calf title-label, covers with triple-fillet gilt borders and a gilt flower in every corner, inside covers gilt as well, g.e. 2 volumes preserved together in modern slipcase. First volume contains 1 engraved portrait of La Fontaine, and 39 engraved plates illustrating the fables, second volume with an engraved portrait of Charles Eisen and 41 engraved plates. In total 4 vignettes and 53 beautifully engraved head- and tailpieces adorn the 2 volumes. XIV, 268, (2), 16; VIII, 306, (8 + 2 blank) pp.

[SW: Schoolbooks; Fable Books; Fairy Tales; Illustrated Books; La Fontaine; Literature]

Details

LA FONTAINE, [Jean] de. Nouveaux contes (quatrieme partie). Contenant, Comment l'esprit vient aux filles. L'abbesse & les nonnains. Les troqueurs de femmes. Le cas de conscience. Le diable de Papefiguiere. Feronde, ou Le purgatoire. Le pesautier. Le roy Candaule, & le maitre en droict. Le diable en enfer. Le jugement du compere Pierre. Pate d'anguille, Les lunettes. Jeannot & Catin. Le cuvier. La chose impossible. Le magnifique. Le tableau. Les fous. Amsterdam, Corneille Jans Zwol, 1676.
Extremely rare first edition with a new title-page (2nd issue), of a new collection of popular tales (the fourth part of the <I>Contes</I>) by Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695), who became immortal by his fables and popular stories. The printing history of the text is quite adventurous. Jean de la Fontaine had already received royal priveleges for three earlier collections of <I>Contes & nouvelles </I>(Paris 1665-1671), but he could not obtain a privilege for his present fourth collection. So, he was obliged to publish this collection of tales clandestinely. The new collection was published in 1674 with the address of Gaspard Migeon at Mons, a famous Jansenist printer. The book was indeed published outside Paris, not at Mons, however, but probably at Reims by Multeau or at Chalons by Bouchard. The edition was seized by the lieutenant of police Le Reynie, and on 5 April 1675, a verdict was issued forbidding the book on the ground that it lacked a privilege and on the suspicion of endangering the good morals and inspiring 'libertinage'. The publisher, to avoid further harassment, printed a new title with the present Amsterdam address and re-issued the rest of the stock in 1676.Based on Boccaccio, La Fontaine's tales consist of all sorts of exemplary stories, fables, fairy tales and popular lore, with a lesson or moral at the end. All tales presented here are listed on the title, printed in a small type in 2 columns underneath the main title.
Fine copy.- (Sl. thumbed, top of spine damaged, hinges weak).
Tchemerzine III, p. 858, VI, L 374; Rochambeau, p. 510; cf. Cioranescu II, 38428; not in Landwehr, <I>Emblem & fable books.</I>

8vo. Contemporary marbled calf, spine ribbed and gilt in compartments, gilt binding edges, red mottled edges. With engraved allegorical frontispiece, with blank pedestal underneath, woodcut title vignette, head pieces and initials. 168 pp. Collation: A-K8, L4.

[SW: Popular Books; Fable Books; Fairy Tales; French; La Fontaine; Literature]

Details

LA FONTAINE (Jean de): Contes de la Fontaine avec les illustrations de Fragonnard parues dans l'edition de Didot de 1795. Tome 2. P., Jean de Bonnot, 1969.
Sommaire : Les oies de frere Philippe. - Richard Minutolo. - Les cordeliers de Catalogne. - Le berceau. - L'Oraison de Saint-Julien. - Le villageois qui cherche son veau. - L'anneau d'Hans Carvel. - L'hermite ou frere Luce. - Mazet de Lamporechio. - La mandragore. - Les Remois. - La courtisane amoureuse. - Nicaise. - Comment l'esprit vient aux filles. -L'abbesse malade. - Les troqueurs. - Le cas de conscience. - le diable de Papefiguiere. - Feronde ou le purgatoire. - Le psautier. - Le roi Candaule et le maitre en droit. - Le diable en enfer. - La jument du compere Pierre. - Les lunettes. - Le cuvier.- La chose impossible. - Le tableau. - Le bat. - Le faiseur d'oreilles et le raccommodeur de moules. - Le fleuve Scamandre.- La confidente sans le savoir, ou le stratageme. - Le remede. - Les aveux indiscrets. - Les quiproquo. - Conte tire d'Athenee. - Imitation d'un livre intitule : Les arrest d'Amour. - Les amours de Mars et de Venus. - Epitaphe de La Fonatine, faite par lui-meme. - Contes attribues a La Fontaine : Le contrat. - La couturiere. - Le Gascon. - La cruche. - Promettre est un et tenir est un autre. - Le rossignol. - Miaulement des chattes. - L'enfant. - Colin. - L'Espagnol. - Il vaut mieux manger du lard que mourrir de faim. - Les deux comperes. - Les noces de Guillot. - Les opilations de Sylvie. -Le duc d'Albe. - Le coup de corne. - Les deux testaments. - Les effets de la nature.

In-8 rel. pleine basane bordeaux editeur, dos lisse orne, titre dore, plaque speciale doree aux plats, tete doree, 418 pp., frontispice, 37 planches de reprod. en noir d'apres Fragonnard, bandeaux, culs-de-lampe. Tres bonne condition.

[SW: Contes, Litterature du XVII° siecle]

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