The Essayes or, Morall, Politike, and Militarie Discourses of Lord Michael de Montaigne, Knight of the Noble Order of Saint Michael, and One of the Gentlemen in Ordinary of the French Kings Chamber
- Hardcover
- London: Printed by M. Flesher, for Rich: Royston, in Ivie-lane next the exchequer Office, London, 1632
London: Printed by M. Flesher, for Rich: Royston, in Ivie-lane next the exchequer Office, London, 1632. Hardcover. Very Good. Hardcover. This is the third edition of Montaigne's influential and famous essays, and on the title page it says that whereunto this edition is now more newly added an index of the principal matters and personages mentioned in the book. The celebrated architectural illustration that is engraved on the title page is by Martin Droeshout, responsible for the iconic portrait of Shakespeare in the First Folio, also appeared in this edition for the first time, Montaigne is credited with pioneering the modern essay form. His Essays are a collection of personal reflections, exploring a wide range of topics from human nature to philosophy, literature, and personal experiences. Published in three books, they were written and revised over several decades, with the first edition appearing in 1580. The remarkable modernity of thought apparent in Montaigne's essays, coupled with their sustained popularity, made them arguably the most prominent work in French philosophy until the Enlightenment. Their influence over French education and culture is still strong. [Wikipedia] They were originally written in Middle French and published in the Kingdom of France. Montaigne's stated design in writing, publishing and revising the Essays over the period from approximately 1570 to 1592 was to record "some traits of my character and of my humours." Montaigne's Essays went through several stages of publication, evolving from a two-book work in 1580 to a final, posthumous edition in 1595. The first English translation of Montaigne's Essays was published in 1603 by John Florio. This translation, titled The Essayes, or, Morall, politike and millitarie discourses, was a significant event in English literature, introducing the French philosopher's work to an English-speaking audience.
Bound in full brown leather; the spine has raised bands with titling and ornaments in gilt. There are small chips on the right side of each band. A small piece of leather at the bottom of spine edge is torn away, and their is a slight crack to the top of spine along the front cover. The covers have some bumping and rubbing and a few small spots. It appears that the formal endpapers are missing, and there is just rough paper covering the inside covers. It is torn and revels glue remnants There s an undeterminable ownership label on the front inside cover. The title page is torn at the bottom along the margin. The text pages have bright white margins but the printed text sections are somewhat browned. There small brown spots along the margins of pages 55-60, with one having become a hole. There are three books of essays, with the second and third books having title pages dated 1631. The first book: pages 1 - 177; the second book: pages 183-440; the third book: pages 443-631. It is followed by the "Index or Table of subjects that is unpaginated. Despite the noted condition issue, this is still a very good copy of this important book. LIT/073125.
Bound in full brown leather; the spine has raised bands with titling and ornaments in gilt. There are small chips on the right side of each band. A small piece of leather at the bottom of spine edge is torn away, and their is a slight crack to the top of spine along the front cover. The covers have some bumping and rubbing and a few small spots. It appears that the formal endpapers are missing, and there is just rough paper covering the inside covers. It is torn and revels glue remnants There s an undeterminable ownership label on the front inside cover. The title page is torn at the bottom along the margin. The text pages have bright white margins but the printed text sections are somewhat browned. There small brown spots along the margins of pages 55-60, with one having become a hole. There are three books of essays, with the second and third books having title pages dated 1631. The first book: pages 1 - 177; the second book: pages 183-440; the third book: pages 443-631. It is followed by the "Index or Table of subjects that is unpaginated. Despite the noted condition issue, this is still a very good copy of this important book. LIT/073125.