(Oeuvres choisies). Edition stéréotype d'Herhan. 21 vols.

With 178 engraved plates, mostly by Moreau le Jeune. 8vo (c. 210 x 140 mm). Late 19th century full red morocco, gilt lettering on spines (somewhat faded), gilt outer and inner fillets, all edges gilt. From the library of James Arthur Taylor with his engr. bookplate). Paris, De l'Imprimerie des Frères Mame & Chez Antoine-Augustin Renouard, 1808-16. Rare edition of Voltaire's (1694-1778) collected works, illustrated with a suite of engravings, mostly done by J.-M. Moreau le jeune (1741-1814). Single copies from the present edition were also sold separately by Renouard. "Cette collection de gravures est l'une des plus belles qui ait jamais été exécutée pour aucun livre" (Fürstenberg). Arranged in 21 vols. by Renouard it contains of: Théatre, 9 vols., 1809; Romans, 2 vols., 1809 and 1808; Poèmes et discours en vers, 1808; Epîtres, stances et odes, 1808; Contes en vers, satires, et poésies mèlées, 1808; Siècle de Louis XIV, 2 vols., 1808; Précis du siècle de Louis XV, 1808; Histoire de l'empire de Russie sous Pierre le Grand, 1809; La Henriade, poème, avec les notes et variantes, suivi de l'essai sur la poésie épique, 1816; La Pucelle d'Orléans, poème en vingt et un chants, 1816; Histoire de Charles XII, roi de Suède, 1816. The majority of the volumes are illustrated with 113 engravings by Moreau le Jeune. Renouard added a series of c. 65 portraits of famous peoples, mostly engraved by Augustin Saint-Aubin, (the copper-plates of which Renouard possessed). Probably this is the best-known work of Moreau le Jeune, draftsman und engraver. After the first announcement of the publication of the Kehl edition of Voltaire's complete works he started the series of illustrations without an order and on his own account. Later Moreau sold them to Beaumarchais, who included them in the de-luxe edition of Voltaire's complete works printed at Kehl in 1785-89. These series was also sold separately as in the present case.- Plates partly browned, text-page very clean, otherwise a nice set. - Bengesco IV, 2184; Quérard, La France littéraire X, 378-379; Bocher, Catalogue de l'oeuvre, pp. 582 & 618; Sander, Illustr. franz. Bücher, 1407; cf. Cohen/de Ricci 1047; cf. Lewine, p. 566; no copy in BnF. LITERATURE: FRENCH ; LITERATUR: FREMDSPRACHIGE ;