Search Results: Authors starting with M from Comellas Rare Books

Genève, Paschoud, 1807. 2 volumes petit in-12. pp.3-183pp. 1f. 220pp. (sans les faux-titres). Full calf, ornate smooth spines, gilt garland framing the covers (fine period binding). A very rare edition, apparently the second, of Madame de Charrière's famous novel, which established her literary reputation. It remained unknown to Clouzot. Isabelle de Charrière, a Swiss woman of letters of Dutch origin, was a friend of Benjamin Constant and Madame de Stael. A handsome copy, finely bound in the period, without its faux-titres. Missing from Clouzot.

A Paris, chez Jean Baptiste Deville, 1680. 12mo. 18 leaves. 334 pages. 1 plate. Full calfskin, ribbed spine decorated (Period binding). Very rare treatise on chemistry composed by a woman, Marie Meurdrac (1610-1680), who owned a private laboratory and who composed this work to popularize the chemical knowledge of the time (Sulphur, Mercury, Distillations, Sublimation, Calcination, etc.). 'The last part brings a very original vision, foreign to the classic medical aspects, focusing on the beautification of the face, and bringing together waters, oils, ointments... and red. (...) This preoccupation with embellishment is in favour of the ladies, as the author points out, adding indications on the manufacture of mask linings, or day and night cornettes, recipes for ointments to soften the hands or dyes for the hair' (translated from Flahaut). One folding out-of-text plate. Small repair in the blank of the title page. Scattered foxing and waterstains. Handled but solid copy. See Flahaut Jean, "La chimie… Read More

A Amsterdam, chez J. F. Boitte et Comp., 1764. 2 parts in 1 volume 8vo. 3 leaves. 122 pages. + 40 pages. Half-shagreen, ribbed spine (19th century binding). First French edition of these fables composed for women, whose character traits and social condition they seek to stigmatize through the evocation of marriage, chastity, vice, coquetry, seduction, vanity, etc. The second part, addressed to young people, differs slightly from Landwehr's description of it (separately from the first part), which does not mention the indication of '2nd part' in the title, and assigns it forty-one pages.