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

Anti-Revolutionary Satire
204 MARCHANT, François. La Constitution en Vaudeville,
Suivie des Droits de l’Homme, de La Femme & de plusieurs autres
Vaudevilles constitutionnels. Paris, Libraires Royalistes, 1792.
[bound with:] Folies nationales pour servir de Suite a la Constitution
en Vaudevilles. Paris, Libraires Royalistes, 1792.
[with:] La Révolution Française en Vaudevilles. Coblentz, 1792.
[bound with:] La République en Vaudeville. Prédédée d’un Notice
des principaux Événemens de la Révolution, pour servir de
Calendrier à l’année 1793. Paris, 1793. £800
Four works bound in two volumes, 16mo, pp. 160; 160; 160; 158, pp.
129–145 misbound; all four works with engraved frontispiece; faint
damp-stain to lower corner of Wrst signature in part I; contemporary
sheep backed boards, spine ruled in gilt, gilt-lettered spine label; upper
joint beginning to crack, but holding Wrm, worm-trace to lower joint;
volume II joints cracked but holding Wrm.
First edition of these lively anti-revolutionary publications, giving a vaudeville
presentation of the achievements of the constitution and the declaration
of the rights of man. The individual statements are set to well-known
tunes, and satirise the ‘noble’ statements. This is followed by further airs,
commenting on the political situation in France.
The second work contains brief scenes, such as ‘Le nouveau Dom Quichotte
ou l’amant de la Liberté’, patriotic couplets directed to the Jacobins, a dialogue
between Robespierre and Camus on assignats to be sung to the
melody of ‘Jai du bon tabac’. The third work gives a running commentary of
the chief events of the Wrst years of the revolution, which is presented in
more detail, date by date in the Wnal work, concentrating on the excesses of
the revolution.
Marchant (1761–1793) manages to combine light-hearted satirical commentary
with strident criticism.
Cioranescu 42462; 42465, 42469; I. RLIN lists copies at Harvard, Princeton,
New York and the University of Virginia of parts I; no copies found of parts II and
III; IV. Harvard.
205 [MARTIGNONI, Ignazio.] Del Gusto in ogni Maniera
d’amene Lettere ed Arti. Como, Stamperia Ottinelli, 1793. £550
8vo, engraved title, pp. 208; front free endpaper removed; contemporary
vellum-backed buV boards, gilt-lettered spine label; a Wne copy.
First edition, uncommon, of Martignoni’s extensive treatise on taste and
aesthetics, an appreciation of beauty, harmony, imagination, and emotion.
He studies aVections, eloquence, imitation, decoration, order, and symmetry.
A number of chapters are devoted to style, style in general, and reWned
style, followed by artistic metaphor, harmony. He explains the relationship
susanne schulz-falster rare books catalogue ten
between aesthetics and language, and points to the pivotal role of language
in conveying aesthetics. He concludes with a chapter on laughter and the
ridiculous. Throughout he refers to earlier and contemporary writers on
similar questions.
Martignoni (1757–1815) also wrote on contemporary music. Appropriately
his work is dedicated to Bettinelli.
Uncommon, OCLC and RLIN list just Harvard and Duke.
206 MEINER, Johann Werner. Versuch einer an der menschlichen
Sprache abgebildeten Vernunftlehre oder Philosophische und
allgemeine Sprachlehre ... Leipzig, Joh. G. I. Breitkopf, 1781. £400
8vo, pp. [xiv], [iii]–xcvi, [ii], 488; title vignette and engraved head and
tail-pieces; contemporary half tan sheep spine ruled and decorated in
gilt, gilt-lettered spine label; extremities a little rubbed, foot of spine
and spine label chipped; still an attractive copy.