Books

London: The Lutetian Society, 1899. First Edition Thus. Full Straight-Grained Morocco. Fine. An exceptional copy. No. 415 of 500 copies limitation. Also extra-illustrated, with 23 hand-colored engraved plates, 21 of which depict scenes from the play and are after J. M. Moreau, and two portraits, one of Joan of Arc, the other, of Voltaire. There are also 25 b/w engravings, these proofs, of plates done by Duplessis-Bertaux. Bound beautifully by R. Wallis, for Robson & Co., a rare bookseller at the turn-of-the-twentieth century, stated, in full straight-grained morocco, with five raised bands and gilt spine decoration, gilt turn-ins and gilt edges. And plates are all printed on a luxuriant and thick vellum paper. 8vo. 22 by 16 cm. 406 pp. (Pagination continuous between two volumes.) Some of the Moreau plates are dated 1788 or 1789. We can assume all of the Moreau plates are from that time. They were created for an earlier French edition of the poem, and most of them have two line…

La Pucelle d'Orléans is a satirical poem by Voltaire, chronicling the life of Joan of Arc. It was controversial due to its irreverent and sexualized depiction of the iconic French heroine.

Locate the anonymized first French edition, likely without Voltaire's name, which may have been published in 1755 in Geneva or Amsterdam.