1721 1st English Edition
THE DOCTRINE OF MORALITY
or, A View of Human Life. According to the Stoick Philosophy. Exemplify'd in One Hundred and Three Copper Plates, Done by the Celebrated Monsieur Daret, Engraver to the Late French King.
With an Explanation of each Plate : Written Originally in French by Monsieur De Gromberville, for the Use of the Said Prince.
Translated into English by T.M. Gibbs, late of Hart-Hall, Oxon.
A scarce and imposing first English edition of Gomberville’s celebrated moral emblem book, translated by T. M. Gibbs and illustrated with 103 copper-engraved plates by Pierre Daret. Issued as a substantial folio, in 2 parts bound in 1, this is one of the most visually striking early eighteenth-century English moral / philosophical books, combining emblematic imagery, Stoic reflection, and explanatory text in a grand illustrated format.
With engraved frontispiece, additional engraved title, title vignette, engraved initials, headpieces, and numerous full-page plates. A highly decorative and intellectually ambitious book, equally appealing for its emblematic programme, engraved work, and sheer shelf presence.
By Marin Le Roy de Gomberville
Author Bio: Marin le Roy, sieur de Gomberville (1600–1674), was a French novelist, moralist, and man of letters. His La Doctrine des Moeurs first appeared in seventeenth-century France and became one of the best-known emblematic moral works of its kind, admired for the union of philosophical instruction and richly engraved illustration.
Illustrated By: Pierre Daret
Illustrator Bio: Pierre Daret was a French engraver and portrait painter whose work is closely associated with important seventeenth-century illustrated books. His plates for Gomberville’s moral emblem text are central to the book’s enduring appeal.
Synopsis: Work / historical context: Gomberville’s Doctrine of Morality belongs to the great tradition of the emblem book, in which moral and philosophical teaching is conveyed through images as much as through text. Drawing on Stoic thought and courtly didactic literature, it presents human conduct, vice, virtue, prudence, ambition, and self-command through a long sequence of engraved moral exempla.
The 1721 English edition is an especially handsome survival of that tradition: a large folio translation by T. M. Gibbs, illustrated after Pierre Daret, and designed to impress as much visually as intellectually. Part moral manual, part emblem book, part engraved anthology of conduct and reflection, it remains one of the most attractive English-language embodiments of early modern ethical literature.
Format: Hardcover, folio (fo 12 × 19 in 305 × 483 mm )
Note: Binding/size selection follows standard bibliographic conventions and is approximate; exact measurements may vary.
Language: English
Published By: E. Bell, J. Darby, A. Bettesworth, F. Fayram, J. Pemberton, J. Hooke, C. Rivington, F. Clay, J. Batley, and E. Symon, London
Condition Report:
Dust Jacket: No Jacket, Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
Good - First English edition, 2 parts in 1, translated by T. M. Gibbs, with engraved frontispiece, additional engraved title, title vignette, 103 copper engravings, engraved initials, and headpieces. Contemporary calf, rubbed and edge-worn, with bumping to corners and extremities; hinges cracked, but the volume remains a substantial, visually impressive, and honest folio copy.
Hole to front free endpaper; scattered faint spotting, chiefly marginal; general age-toning and signs of handling as expected in a large illustrated book of this date. A characterful and desirable copy of a scarce English emblem book, retaining the qualities collectors look for in an early illustrated folio. Please see photos as part of the condition report.
Binding:
Hardcover, folio
Collation:
[4], [6], vii–xi, [1], 211, [1] p.
2 parts in 1. With engraved frontispiece, additional engraved title, title vignette, 103 copper-engraved plates, engraved initials, and headpieces. Complete.
Please see Photos as part of condition report.
References:
ESTC N008945
WorldCat/OCLC 642232769
HathiTrust 012315037
SKU: BTETM0002582
Shipping Info: Approximate Package Dimensions H: 12.5, L: 30, W: 25 (Units: cm), W: 3Kg
Tracked Shipping, Insurance Coverage as per Customer Request
1721 1st English Edition
THE DOCTRINE OF MORALITY
or, A View of Human Life. According to the Stoick Philosophy. Exemplify'd in One Hundred and Three Copper Plates, Done by the Celebrated Monsieur Daret, Engraver to the Late French King.
With an Explanation of each Plate : Written Originally in French by Monsieur De Gromberville, for the Use of the Said Prince.
Translated into English by T.M. Gibbs, late of Hart-Hall, Oxon.
A scarce and imposing first English edition of Gomberville’s celebrated moral emblem book, translated by T. M. Gibbs and illustrated with 103 copper-engraved plates by Pierre Daret. Issued as a substantial folio, in 2 parts bound in 1, this is one of the most visually striking early eighteenth-century English moral / philosophical books, combining emblematic imagery, Stoic reflection, and explanatory text in a grand illustrated format.
With engraved frontispiece, additional engraved title, title vignette, engraved initials, headpieces, and numerous full-page plates. A highly decorative and intellectually ambitious book, equally appealing for its emblematic programme, engraved work, and sheer shelf presence.
By Marin Le Roy de Gomberville
Author Bio: Marin le Roy, sieur de Gomberville (1600–1674), was a French novelist, moralist, and man of letters. His La Doctrine des Moeurs first appeared in seventeenth-century France and became one of the best-known emblematic moral works of its kind, admired for the union of philosophical instruction and richly engraved illustration.
Illustrated By: Pierre Daret
Illustrator Bio: Pierre Daret was a French engraver and portrait painter whose work is closely associated with important seventeenth-century illustrated books. His plates for Gomberville’s moral emblem text are central to the book’s enduring appeal.
Synopsis: Work / historical context: Gomberville’s Doctrine of Morality belongs to the great tradition of the emblem book, in which moral and philosophical teaching is conveyed through images as much as through text. Drawing on Stoic thought and courtly didactic literature, it presents human conduct, vice, virtue, prudence, ambition, and self-command through a long sequence of engraved moral exempla.
The 1721 English edition is an especially handsome survival of that tradition: a large folio translation by T. M. Gibbs, illustrated after Pierre Daret, and designed to impress as much visually as intellectually. Part moral manual, part emblem book, part engraved anthology of conduct and reflection, it remains one of the most attractive English-language embodiments of early modern ethical literature.
Format: Hardcover, folio (fo 12 × 19 in 305 × 483 mm )
Note: Binding/size selection follows standard bibliographic conventions and is approximate; exact measurements may vary.
Language: English
Published By: E. Bell, J. Darby, A. Bettesworth, F. Fayram, J. Pemberton, J. Hooke, C. Rivington, F. Clay, J. Batley, and E. Symon, London
Condition Report:
Dust Jacket: No Jacket, Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
Good - First English edition, 2 parts in 1, translated by T. M. Gibbs, with engraved frontispiece, additional engraved title, title vignette, 103 copper engravings, engraved initials, and headpieces. Contemporary calf, rubbed and edge-worn, with bumping to corners and extremities; hinges cracked, but the volume remains a substantial, visually impressive, and honest folio copy.
Hole to front free endpaper; scattered faint spotting, chiefly marginal; general age-toning and signs of handling as expected in a large illustrated book of this date. A characterful and desirable copy of a scarce English emblem book, retaining the qualities collectors look for in an early illustrated folio. Please see photos as part of the condition report.
Binding:
Hardcover, folio
Collation:
[4], [6], vii–xi, [1], 211, [1] p.
2 parts in 1. With engraved frontispiece, additional engraved title, title vignette, 103 copper-engraved plates, engraved initials, and headpieces. Complete.
Please see Photos as part of condition report.
References:
ESTC N008945
WorldCat/OCLC 642232769
HathiTrust 012315037
SKU: BTETM0002582
Shipping Info: Approximate Package Dimensions H: 12.5, L: 30, W: 25 (Units: cm), W: 3Kg
Tracked Shipping, Insurance Coverage as per Customer Request
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