Susanne Schulz-Falster Catalogue Ten - Schulz-Falster Rare Books

First edition, very rare, of this major contribution to the history of political
economy, the Wrst entirely modern assessment of economic and demographic
data for policy decisions. Lavoisier was the founder of national statistics
and records in this work for the Wrst time what is now known as the
law of probability (Duveen and Klickstein). In connection with having
been asked by the National Assembly to introduce a new scheme of taxation,
Lavoisier drew up a plan, which, though unWnished, turned out to be
his main economic contribution De la richesse territoriale de la France. Here
we have the abridged version, the only one ever to be published, printed on
demand of the l’Assemblée Nationale in 1791. It records his Wndings resulting
from his statistical investigations into population, and calculated consumption
and production, which are then expressed in terms of silver. The
result is the most detailed state Wnance, revenue and agricultural resource to
be published before the 20th century (INED).
Duveen & Klickstein 264; Einaudi 3272; INED 2690; not in Kress or Goldsmiths.
For a detailed analysis see Perrot, ‘Lavoisier, l’Auteur de La Richesse
territoriale du Royaume de France’ in: Un histoire intellectuelle de l’Économie
Politique, 1992, pp. 377–437.
180 [LAW]. Code des Nourrices, ou Recueil des Déclarations du
Roi, Arrêts du Parlement, Ordonnances et Sentences de Police;
concernant les Nourrices, les Recommandaresses, les Meneurs &
Meneuses. Paris, Philippe-Denys Pierres. 1781. £900
8vo, pp. iv, 68; with royal arms to title; printed on pale blue paper;
contemporary full polished calf, spine gilt with gilt-lettered spine label,
sides with triple gilt rule, a.e.g., gilt dentelles; short splits at joints and
extremities a little rubbed, still a very attractive copy, possibly bound for
presentation.
First edition of this attractively presented legal code for the provision of
nursing care and the registration of wet-nurses in late eighteenth century
France. It consists of a compilation of the relevant laws regulating nurses
and child-care, together with nursing agencies. Beginning with the act of
1715 all relevant legislation is reprinted. The wet-nurses were required to
register and were inspected by the police, they were only allowed to nurse
two babies at any one time, and had to inform the authorities of the details
of the babies they were nursing. Interestingly an important role was played
susanne schulz-falster rare books catalogue ten
by some form of nursing agency (Wrst two, then four for Paris), that acted as
an agent, and was paid a fee by the parents. The wet-nurses were to be paid
directly by the parents.
In eighteenth century Paris a large proportion of wealthy women placed
their infants with wet-nurses in the surrounding countryside, and thus the
provision of nursing care needed strict organisation.
Rare, the Bibliothèque Nationale records copies with this collation and also with an
additional 7 pages, presumably recording further changes in the legislation; RLIN
and OCLC list copies at the National Library of Medicine and the Wellcome Library.
181 [LAW – INHERITANCE.] RiXessioni sopra il Redintegro dei
Fideicomissi esposte in una Lettera d’un Veneziano ad un Amico.
Zurigo [Venezia], 1798. £450
8vo, pp. lxii, [2] Wnal blank; original wrappers; some wear to upper
outer corner, a little dog-eared; very clean and crisp.
First and only edition of this rare discussion of changes in inheritance law,
especially on entailments to limit inheritance to speciWc heirs, and to prohibit
the heirs from diminishing the assets. New legislation of 1796 had
curtailed the rights of the heirs, and the anonymous author maintains that
this is against natural and civil law.
Not found in Kress, Goldsmiths’ or Einaudi; no copy in OCLC, RLIN lists just
one copy at the University of Hanover.
Lotteries: Pros and Cons
182 [LE CLERC, Jean.] RéXexions sur ce que l’on appelle Bonheur
et Malheur en Matiere de Loteries, et sur le bon usage qu’on en peut
faire. Amsterdam, George Gallet, 1696. £850
8vo, engraved frontispiece, pp. [xiv], 236; title in red and black;
contemporary full sheep, spine gilt in compartments, corners a little
rubbed; a Wne copy with private library book plate to front free endpaper.
First edition of this spirited discussion of what constitutes luck and misfortune
in gambling, especially lotteries. Lotteries were particularly popular at
the time, with a veritable lottery fever started by William of Orange’s proposal
for a national lottery in England. Le Clerc (1657–1736), a Protestant
cleric and friend of John Locke, takes a liberal standpoint in the debate
about the evils and beneWts of lotteries. He especially defends charitable
lotteries in Holland which at the time were making a serious come-back. In
his discussion of luck and misfortune Locke’s inXuence can be discerned.
The Wne engraved plate shows blind ‘Fortuna’ showering notes or lottery
slips onto two disgruntled gentlemen who clearly have drawn blanks,
whereas the crowd in the background is still eagerly awaiting its share.
The treatise was popular and translated into Dutch (the same year), German
(1716) and English (1758).
Cioranescu 41292; Goldsmiths’–Kress 3367.27; Zollinger, 1696.