Oeuvres Complettes de M. le C. de B*** de l'Academie Francaise. DerniŠre dition.
Londres. 1779. 24mo. (Text) 12,3cm, in 2 volumes, [4],231, & [4],168pp., engraved frontis portrait, in contemporary full mottled calf, triple gilt borders on boards, full gilt decorations and borders in the spine panels, gilt titles on crushed red morocco labels, gilt inner dentelles, all edges gilt edges, a near fine sound set, text very clean and tight, attractive bound (Hol). Item #41456
~ This edition not in Brunet; not in Tchemerzine; Qu‚rard 1:294. Fran‡ois Joachim de Pierre de Bernis (1715-1794) was familiarly known as the Cardinal Bernis. His own life was said to be a fascinating fiction - prot‚g‚ of Madame de Pompadour, elected to the Acad‚mie fran‡aise at the age of twenty-nine, Ambassador to Venice and, finally, Minister of Foreign Affairs under Louis XV. Bernis was an ambitious and a pleasure-seeking individual; his liaisons with women were legendary, but he maintained a certain religious devotion, which is also transmitted in his writings. The Oeuvres are comprised of discourses on contemporary issues which are sometimes rendered in verse, philosophical and moral reflections on diverse subjects, and selections of letters and poems. This is perhaps the "first authoritative" edition of the author's work.
Price: $200.00