FIRMIN

[Florian [Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian], French poet and writer of romances and fables.] Autograph Letter in the third person to his printer Firmin Didot, regarding the latter's request for information regarding 'le véritable homo'.

Author: 
Florian [Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian] (1755-1794), French poet and writer of romances, author of fables and pastoral novels [Firmin Didot (1764-1836), Paris printer]
Publication details: 
22 July 1787. No place ['la Campagne'].
£350.00

1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, with stub from mount adhering along one edge. From the celebrated manuscript collection of Richard Monckton Milnes (Lord Houghton). In 1787 Didot published Florian's 'Mélanges de poésie et de littérature'. A courtly and characteristic response to a request for information, reading: 'Mr. de florian a l'honneur de souhaiter le bon jour a monsieur Firmin. [a contemporary hand glosses this as 'Didot'] il arrive de la Campagne, et ne peut lui donner aucun détail sur cequ'il [sic] demande. demain il s'en informera, ou priera qu'on s'en informe.

[Antoine Destutt de Tracy, French philosopher.] Autograph Letter Signed ('Dustutt-Tracy') to the French printer Firmin Didot, discussing the various editions of du Val's Aristotle with a view to obtaining a copy of one.

Author: 
Antoine Louis Claude, Comte Destutt de Tracy (1754-1836), French philosopher, politician, soldier, who coined the term 'ideology', admired by Jefferson [Firmin Didot (1764-1836), French printer]
Publication details: 
'A Anteuil ce 25 floreal an 11'. [i.e. 15 May 1803]
£450.00

An interesting letter, casting light on bibliographic and book trade practices in Consulate Paris. 2pp, 12mo. Forty-two lines of closely-written text on the first leaf of a bifolium, the recto of the second leaf being addressed 'Au Citoyen Firmin Didot | Rue du Regard | A Paris'. In good condition, lightly aged, with white paper stub of mount adhering to second leaf.

[Pierre Daru [Pierre Antoine Noël Bruno, Comte Daru], French soldier and author.] Autograph Letter Signed ('Cte Daru') to printer Firmin Didot, concerning the printing of 'la Copie des vers que j'ai lus à l'institut', with reference to 'M Raynouard'.

Author: 
Pierre Daru [Pierre Antoine Noël Bruno, Comte Daru] (1767-1829), French soldier, statesman, historian, poet [Firmin Didot, printer; François Just Marie Raynouard (1761-1836), dramatist and linguist]
Publication details: 
26 April 1829. No place.
£350.00

1p, 4to. On recto of first leaf of bifolium, the verso of the last leaf of which is addressed by Daru 'à monsieur | F. Didot père & fils | rue jacob No 24 | Paris'. In good condition, lightly aged, with stub from mount adhering. Sixteen lines of text. The text is in French, and concerns 'la Copie des vers que j'ai lus à l'institut pour imprimés avec les autres pièces lues a cette place', which he discussed with 'M Raynouard' (François Just Marie Raynouard) the night before.

[ Anonymous pamphlet by Firmin Didot of Paris, inscribed by the author. ] Notice Historique sur la Vie et les Ouvrages de P. P. Prudhon, Peintre, Membre de la Légion-d'Honneur et de l'Institut.

Author: 
[ Jacques-Philippe Voïart [ Voiart ] or his wife Élise Voïart (1786-1866) ] Firmin Didot, Paris printer [ Pierre-Paul Prud'hon [ Prudhon ] (1758-1823), French painter ]
Publication details: 
A Paris, chez Firmin Didot, Rue Jacob, No 24; Chez Boulland et Ce, Libraire, Rue du Battoir, No 12. 1824.
£80.00

46pp., 8vo. Stitched and in original plain grey wraps. Aged and worn, in fraying wraps. The pamphlet is anonymous, but carries the following inscription in pencil on the half-title: 'hommage | a Mademoiselle Bergeret | Artiste, de la part de l'Auteur. | Voïart'. The only copies on COPAC at the V & A, and the British Library. This copy lacks the lithographed frontispiece portrait of Prud'hon, by Voïart, present in the copy in the Bibliothèque Nationale, which is ascribed to the wife, whereas other authorities ascribe the work to the husband.

[First work from the press, in original wraps.] Les Bucoliques de Virgile, précédées De plusieurs Idylles de Théocrite, de Bion et de Moschus; suivies de tous les passages de Théocrite que Virgile a imités; traduites en vers français par Firmin Didot

Author: 
Firmin Didot (1764-1836), French engraver, printer and type founder
Publication details: 
Gravé, fondu et imprimé par le traducteur. À Paris, À la Librairie de Firmin Didot, Rue de Thionville. 1806.
£280.00

[13] + 264pp., 8vo. In original purple wraps lacking spine label. A landmark work in the history of printing. In fair condition, on aged and dogeared paper, with damp staining to the first few leaves, and front cover of the wraps detached. Pp.246-264 carry Didot's 'Note Bibliographique et Typographique', with the engraving on p.263 of the Estienne device, to indicate that it is possible to print both text and 'taille douce' on the same page.

[Printed pamphlet.] Explication des Tableaux, Statues, Bustes, etc. composant les Galerie [sic] du Palais de la Chambre des Pairs de France.

Author: 
[Pierre Didot, l'ainé, printer; Musée national du Luxembourg, France ]
 Explication des Tableaux, Statues, Bustes, etc.
Publication details: 
A Paris, de l'Imprimerie de P. Didot l'Ainé, Imprimeur de la Chambre des Pairs de France, rue du Pont de Lodi, no 6. 1814.
£125.00
 Explication des Tableaux, Statues, Bustes, etc.

12mo, 72 pp. Stitched. In remains of original grey wraps, with front wrap present (though worn at extremities), but only a trace of rear wrap remaining. Text clear and complete. On aged paper with many dog-eared corners. An ephemeral item by one of the greatest of French printers: COPAC only lists three copies, at Oxford, University College London, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. None of these record the misprint in the title of 'les Galerie' for 'les Galeries', and it is not present in the Harvard copy either.

Autograph Letter Signed ""Coblence" to John Bellows, Printer and publisher (of a pocket French Dictionary), Gloucester.

Author: 
Victor Coblence
Publication details: 
Paris, 19 Rue des Missions, le 11 Juin 1877. En francais.
£195.00

Printer ("electrotype"). Four pages, 8vo, a few letters masked by a strip of brown paper on the last page, mainly good condition. A stamp (timbre) is stuck top left of page 1, with the image of an electrotype machine surrounded by the name "Victor Coblence" and the word "electrotypie". The contents of the letter indicate a close business relationship and contain many technical (printing) terms. In the first paragraph he discusses Sutton & Co and "la caisse renfermant la forme [a?] la cliche".

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