Réflexions sur ce que l'on appelle Bonheur et Malheur en matière de Loteries, et sur le bon usage qu'on en peut faire.

Anon (Jean Le Clerc, 1657-1736)

Published by George Gallet Amsterdam, 1696

About this Item

In-8 (small 8vo), 150x100mm. Second edition. French language. Important and rare Enlightenment treatise on lotteries, with special attention given to popular misconceptions concerning fortune and luck. Title-page printed in red and black. pp(16)236 including single blank preliminary leaf; with striking frontispiece of the Goddess of Fortune spreading her favours over an excited crowd, title-page floral vignette, and three headpieces. Later speckled calf and marbled endpapers, coinciding with slight cropping of content margins and red-tinting of edges of text-block. Recent replacement spine and reinforcement of endpaper hinges. Spine with four raised bands, gilt rules, gilt abbreviated title on maroon morocco label, author's name in adjacent compartment below, and gilt publication date at foot. Board edges rubbed and grazed, with here & there a little loss of hide; more conspicuous loss of hide around moderately worn outer corners. Marbled paper strips - contrasting only a little with the original marbled paper - neatly and effectively applied as reinforcements along endpaper hinges. Blank side of front flyleaf with signature of 'gentleman' chess player JW Rimington Wilson (1822-1877) of Broomhead Hall, Bradfield, near Sheffield, together with small paper label (12x21mm) of Milanese bookseller or binder H. Polifilo at upper outer corner; blank side of rear flyleaf with short bibliographic inscription in pencil. Title-page faintly & patchily toned, and faintly dust- & handling-marked; manuscript author's name - affected by later cropping of margin - at upper edge, previous owner's name of some age adjacent to vignette, and two very small manuscript monograms? adjacent to publication date. Fore-edge margins of one leaf - pages 81/82 - with two tan spot-stains, the larger & darker up to 5mm in diameter; a number of lower margins with unobtrusive pale spots. Top edge of text-block a little darkened. Binding holding firmly and of pleasing shelf appearance; contents generally clean, tight and fresh. VERY GOOD copy.

Seller Inventory # 27337

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Réflexions sur ce que l'on appelle Bonheur et Malheur en matière de Loteries, et sur le bon usage qu'on en peut faire.
• Publisher: George Gallet Amsterdam
• Publication Date: 1696
• Binding: Hardcover