About this Item
FIRST FRENCH TRANSLATION. 4 volumes, 141 x 82 mms., pp. [ii], iv, 315 [316 blank]; [ii], 328; [ii], 383 [384 blank]; [ii], 345 [346 blank], engraved frontispiece (by P. Andine) and engraved frontispiece (by Charjentier) in each volume. bookplate of Chateaux des Perrays on front paste-down end-paper of each volume, contemporary lightly mottled calf, spines gilt in compartments to a floral motif, red morocco lables; tops and bases of spines chipped, corners slightly worn, but a good to very good copy of this set. The English original, on which this French version is modelled, is often attributed, probably incorrectly, to Sarah Fielding. One of the characters is "Mrs. Bountiful," a character in Farquhar's Beaux' Stratagem (1707), and the main character, the iconically named Miss Summers, is her adopted ward, a female Tom Jones - and rather an enchanting one. The author of Tom Jones makes an early appearance in the Introduction: "But before I display my Sign, or invite them to the opening of my House, I must acquaint them with the Motives that induced me to chuse the Life of Publican. You must know then, I am the first begotten, or the poetical Issue, of the much celebrated Biographer of Joseph Andrews and Tom Jones; I dare not pretend to be legitimately begotten; I believe, that I must content myself with the Honour of being a natural Brat, of that facetious Gentleman; for I dare swear, he does not remember when he became my Father, and has scarce any Conversation with my Mother, either before, or since that happy Encounter, which gave being to your humble Servant; therefore I am afraid, I should scarce be able to fix a Marriage upon the 'Squire, especially, as the Ceremony of poetical Espousals, is so much controverted by the Priests of Panassus, that it's next to impossible to settle the Ritual, that would convey the Privilege of Legitimacy to the Offspring of the Poets." There are a number of other references to Fielding after that, written Master F-------g, which has some of the ambiguity of "Conversation" in the passage just quoted. ESTC T83426 locates copies in BL, Bodleian, and Niedersachsische Staats- und Universitatsbibliothek. ESTC lists eight other imprints of this version of the novel. Seller Inventory # 9500
Contact seller
Report this item
