Books

Paris: Chez Desaint & Saillant..., [et] Durand ... : de l'Imprimerie de Charles-Antoine Jombert, 1755-1759. Leather. Very Good. Folio. Four volumes. Orig. mottled calf boards, new period spines with new leather labels, elaborate gilt compartments, outer and inner edges dentelle. A.E.G. Marbled endpapers. Green ribbon markers. xxx, xviij, 124, [71] plate engravings; ii, 135, [68] plates; iv, 146, [68] plates; ij, 188, [69] plates. This set boasts 275 naturalistic plate engravings, plus engraved and etched allegorical frontispiece with bust of La Fontaine by Dupuis and Cochin after Jean-Baptiste Oudry, and numerous wood-engraved floral head- and tailpieces by Papillon and Le Sueur after Bachelier. Charles-Nicolas Cochin fils redesigned the original sketches made by Oudry from 1729-1734, etched many plates himself, and directed the work of 42 engravers. (Morgan Library) The portrait of Oudry engraved by Tardieu after Largillière is not present here. First plate accompanying "Le Singe…

Fables choisies, mises en vers is a celebrated collection of fables written by the French poet Jean de La Fontaine. First published in 1668, this classic work comprises a series of short tales, each with its own moral lesson, inspired by Aesop and other classical sources.