PAMELA; OU, LA VERTU RÉCOMPENSÉE
by RICHARDSON, SAMUEL
- Used
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
McMinnville, Oregon, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Very attractive quarter calf blind-stamped in "cathedral" style over marbled boards by Thouvenin (stamp-signed in gilt at foot of spine), corners tipped with green vellum, spine blindstamped with a design of gothic-arched windows, gilt titling, marbled endpapers and edges. Half title with ink inscription in French stating that this book was purchased at the sale of the library of the Duc de Coigny at Chateau de Franquetot on 24 April [19]12. ◆Occasional insignificant smudges or spots of foxing, the paper a little on the inexpensive side, otherwise an appealing copy with virtually no signs of use.
This is an early 19th century French edition of Richardson's first major work, offered here in a well-preserved unusual contemporary binding and with intriguing provenance. Samuel Richardson (1679-1761) was a printer who loved to write letters and who, at the age of 50, began writing novels using the epistolary form. His major works are important stepping stones toward the modern novel. Day says that "Pamela is the first great character creation of English prose fiction. As much as we may dislike her prudential morality, we must recognize here a complete human being." The work initially appeared in French in 1741, shortly after its original printing in English. The unusual binding is typical of the fine work produced by Joseph Thouvenin (1779-1834), the eldest of three bookbinder brothers. Ramsden describes Thouvenin as one of the three great French binders of the Empire and Restoration periods (Simier and Purgold are the others), and the Walters Art Museum catalogue says that "in his heyday, . . . he was the giant among Paris bookbinders." Deriving its name from the use of design motifs taken from gothic architecture, the so-called "Cathedral Binding" (or "Cathedral-Style Binding") was fashionable in England and France for about three decades, beginning ca. 1810. In France--as here--the design was usually blocked, while in England it was typically accomplished with gilt tooling. Thouvenin is sometimes credited with popularizing the style. The provenance of our copy is distinguished: it was apparently in the library of the family of the duc de Coigny (1737-1814), who was Maréchal and Peer of France. Although the duke himself was not alive to read this edition, it likely was part of his descendants' library, remaining on its shelf until purchased by a collector at the sale of family books nearly a century later..
Synopsis
Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded is an epistolary novel by Samuel Richardson, first published in 1740. It tells the story of a maid named Pamela whose master, Mr. B, makes unwanted advances towards her. She rejects him continually, and her virtue is eventually rewarded when he shows his sincerity by proposing an equitable marriage to her. In the second part of the novel, Pamela attempts to accommodate herself to upper-class society and to build a successful relationship with him.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Medieval Manuscripts (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- ST12949
- Title
- PAMELA; OU, LA VERTU RÉCOMPENSÉE
- Author
- RICHARDSON, SAMUEL
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Publisher
- De l'imprimerie de Plassan
- Place of Publication
- Paris
- Date Published
- 1821-22
- Note
- May be a multi-volume set and require additional postage.
Terms of Sale
Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Medieval Manuscripts
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About the Seller
Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Medieval Manuscripts
About Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Medieval Manuscripts
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Calf
- Calf or calf hide is a common form of leather binding. Calf binding is naturally a light brown but there are ways to treat the...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Half Title
- The blank front page which appears just prior to the title page, and typically contains only the title of the book, although, at...
- Vellum
- Vellum is a sheet of specialty prepared skin of lamb, calf, or goat kid used for binding a book or for printing and writing. ...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Marbled boards
- ...