FULL TITLE: Nouveau Receuil Des Fables D'Esope, Mises En François
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Written by Esope (Aesop), augmented by Sieur Benserade
Printed by Pierre Prault
DESCRIPTION:
A lovely 18th-century French edition of Aesop's Fables, heavily illustrated, with oval woodcuts accompanying each of the 221 fables and two woodcut portraits of Aesop.
Esope. Nouveau Recueil Des Fables D'Esope, Mises En François. [Paris]: Pierre Prault, 1731. 8vo, [i-viii] ix-lx [i.e. xl] 1-442, [14] pages; p. 442 with errata notations, concluding with a 10 page table of contents; decorative title-page woodcut, illustrated woodcut frontispiece of Aesop, several decorative letters in opening text, along with several head and tail pieces, each of the 221 fables is accompanied by a thematic oval woodcut and is followed by a decorative tail piece; bound in brown leather boards, gilt tooled floral motif, spine with six compartments and title “Fables Desope”, with faded gilt tooled edge.
CONDITION: Good, with significant issues, staining and damage to both boards, back board with significant lacks, corners bumped, with chips, peeling, and flaking; potential use of waste binding manuscript, remnant visible at inside front and backboard; front endpapers with various notations/signatures in pencil and old inks, title page also with previous owner's signature, missing back loose endpaper; water staining at margin of front pages, some corners dog-eared; p. 63 with ink stain slightly obscuring text. Mispaginations/misprints include p. 144 marked as 44 and p. 264 marked as 462. Moulding at p. 265, some tears and rips, including a tear on p.xxxix at the top and a lack at foredge, p.433 with tear at edge, p. 439, and p. 441 at bottom corner tear/lack.
BOOK MEASUREMENTS: Foolscap octavo, 17 cm x 10 cm
TOTAL LENGTH: [i-viii] ix-lx [i.e. xl] 1-442, [14] pages