Manuel des curieux et des amateurs de l'art, contenant une notice abregée des principaux Graveurs, et un Catalogue raisonné de leurs meilleurs ouvrages; depuis le commencement de la Gravure jusques a nos jours

Paris, London, and Zurich: Fuchs, Henri Escher, and Orell & Fussli, 1797-1808. Nine volumes bound as five, complete. One of the great early attempts at a universal catalogue raisonné of prints. Includes an important introduction and extensive bibliographical notes on hundreds of artists. Volumes 1-2, German school; volumes 3-4, Italian school; volumes 5-6, Dutch and Flemish school; volumes 7-8, French school; volume 9, English school. Complete with the rare 38-page index to the first six volumes, published later and often missing (indexes to volumes 7 to 9 are included in the regular pagination of those volumes, and are of course present). Additional manuscript index to volumes 1-2, surely done years before printed index was published. The first 40 pages of volume I supply the earliest critical bibliography of general works on prints, with many works described in exhaustive detail. The ninth volume, present here, is very rare: even Cicognara didn't have it, and apparently didn't know about it. 8vo. Bound in contemporary tree calf (first volume bound in matching, but slightly darker, calf). Light wear to bindings, but very attractive. Various indexes added in manuscript on flyleaves and inserted leaves in a contemporary hand. Internally clean. A very good set. Published over the course of eleven years by three publishers in three countries, complete sets are very rare. Brunet III, 357; Bourcard 81: "Nous estimons très particulièrement cet ouvrage.... Il y a beaucoup de renseignements et une longue introduction de 80 pages qu'on ne saurait lire sans en tirer profit. Il est assez difficile de trouver l'ouvrage complet. L'Ecole Anglaise, tome IX, paru beaucoup plus tard manque souvent." Cicognara 262, citing only the first 8 volumes. Bigmore & Wyman I, 347: "...a very useful work, but seldom met with in a complete form...."