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Paris, Charles Estienne, 1553. Small 4to. Bound in a lovely 19th century red morocco binding with five raised bands and gilt ornamentations to spine. Boards with blindstamped frame-borders and gilt ornamental centre-pieces. All edges of boards gilt and inner gilt dentelles. All edges gilt. "E. THOMAS" discreetly printed to top of front free end-paper. Front free end-paper with woodcut armorial book-plate (Bibliotheque du Plessis Villoutreys). First and last leaves with a bit of brownspotting, otherwise very nice and clean throughout. The last three leaves with neat restorations - neatly closed tear, with no loss and a couple of small restorations to top margin (far from affecting text). (8), 148 pp. Estienne's printer's device to title-page and woodcut initials. The extremely rare first translation printed in any language, being the first printed French translation, of one of the most important and influential works in the history of mankind, Machiavelli's "The Prince". After the original printing in Italian, the present is arguably the most desirable edition of the seminal masterpiece that is Machiavelli's magnum opus. "The Prince" constitutes the beginning of modern political philosophy and one of the most influential works in the history of modern thought. It founded the science of modern politics on the study of mankind, and even today no political thinker can disregard the importance of this masterpiece of political theory.The translation not only inaugurated the tradition of translating "The Prince" into other languages than Italian, it also exercised the greatest influence upon the entire Machiavellian tradition and constitutes an immeasurable historical source in its own right. Although the work was never reprinted and this extremely scarce edition is the only available version of the text, the effects of it are still clearly visible in our times. It secured the diffusion of the text throughout Europe and it served as the basis for the most important of the later translations, e.g. Jacques Gohory's from 1571, which is considered not much more than a slight reworking of Cappel's translation. As Jean Bingen points to, Cappel's translation also directly influenced (and influences) almost all modern translations of the work. The reason for this continued direct and strong influence is of course not only due to its priority in time over all other translations, it is also due to the fact that Cappel's translation always has been and still is considered the most "Machiavellian" translation of "The Prince" ever made and the one closest to the source - both in time, in style, and in rendering of the content. Cappel was the only of the early translators who was himself a Machiavellian and his respect for and understanding of the text shines from the pages. "Besides being a politically charged text, the "Principe" was also a piece of beautiful and clear Italian prose, and its tightness and brevity constituted a decisive advantage over the "Discorsi". An awareness of the literary qualities of the text is also evident in the preface Guillaume Cappel wrote to his translation (dedicated to Jean Bertrand, Lord Privy Seal), in which he underlines Machiavelli's use of an appropriate style and the good use to which he puts his knowledge of history... These qualities prompted Cappel to undertake his translation...Cappel's enterprise was praised for his literary qualities by the members of the Pléiade who had their own poems inserted at the end of the translation. More recently, his version had been justly praised as "very literal and sinewy". It has also been noted, however, that it was not reprinted, thought Jacques Gohery's version, published 1571, followed it "almost verbatim"." (Petrina, Machiavelli in the British Isles, p. 12). "Guillaume Cappel II, sieur de Preigny (1530-86), was widely known in medicine for his work on nutrition and his editing of texts on how to avoid the plague and on general medical diagnosis. A member of the Catholic League, he was determined not only to bring up his brother's children in the Catholic faith but also to exploit Tilloy to his own profit. However, in 1586 he was killed in an affray with the enemies of the League... Family divisions of the kind that occurred at Le Tilloy were customary during the religious wars, but it is not because of his part in them, nor even because of his Catholic enthusiasm and his medical reputation, that Guillaume Cappel deserves attention. In 1553, at the age of twenty-three, he published a French translation of Machiavelli's "Prince", dedicating it to a powerful patron, the "Garde des sceaux" Jean Bertrand. Appended to the book were poems praising Mchiavelli, and Cappel as his French interpreter, by Marc-Antoine Muret and Rémy Belleau, and other verses about the relative merits of French and Italian princes by Etienne Jodelle. Guillaume Cappel clearly mixed in the foremost literary circles of the time. He claimed to be a student of politics, as well as of medicine and letters, and in his dedication to Bertrand, which he modelled on Machiavelli's own prefatory letter to Lorenzo de' Medici, he expressed an admiration for Machiavelli that knew no bounds. Politics, he remarked, constituted the highest branch of philosophy, itself the queen of the "sciences". Other political writers were sophists producing utopias, but Machiavelli wrote of government as it really was. Cappel went on to argue in his preface that men were more ungrateful towrads their ruler than any animal towrads its master. The exercise of power was shaped by necessity, not by virtuous intentions, and only those who understood this could govern successfully. For his part, the ruler necessarily pursued two aims, to keep his authority intact and to extend his dominions. According to Cappel, Machiavelli had boldly analysed the faults committed by princes in the pst, had shown how problems could be dealt with in the future, and had brilliantly explained the causes of political upheavals.Guillaume Cappel's translation of "The Prince" was the first of three to be published in France before the massacre of St. Bartholomew, when the black legend of Machiavelli became dominant... Guillaume Cappel was not only the first translator of "The Prince" but also the one most in sympathy with Machiavelli himself. He scornfully refuted those who accused his author "de facooner un prince trop rigoreux." A good doctor, said Cappel in his dedication, did not worry whether his patient disliked the remedy he prescribed, but merely whether the cure would work. Cappel refused to take up the rumor whether Machiavelli was an atheist, because, he claimed, there was nothing he had written that could support or deny the charge... Cappel's translation was sharper, and truer to the original than Gaspard d'Auvergne's or Gohory's.... The young Guillaume Cappel was, at this time at least, a true Machiavellian." (McMillan Salmo, Renaissance and Revolt, pp. 62-63). The work is of the utmost scarcity, with only few copies known. According to the "Catalogue général" of the Bibliothèque National, at least thirty-five editions of three French translations of "The Prince" appeared between 1553 and 1664. "The doctor Guillaume Cappel is credited with the first French translation of "The Prince" (1553), followed by Gaspard d'Auvergne (1553) and Jacques Gohory (1571)." (Jacob Soll, Publishing The Prince, p.73).(See PMM 63 - first edition).

High Holborn, for the Council by Edward Truelove, 1871. Small 8vo. Near contemporary quarter cloth with silver lettering to front board. Binding with signs of use, but overall good. One closed marginal tear and title-page with a few brownspots, otherwise very nice and clean. 35 pp. Exceedingly rare first edition (with the names of Lucraft and Odger still present under "The General Council") of one of Marx' most important works, his seminal defense of the Paris Commune and exposition of the struggle of the Communards, written for all proletarians of the world. While living in London, Marx had joined the International Working Men's Association in 1864 - "a society founded largely by members of Britain's growing trade unions and designed to foster international working class solidarity and mutual assistance. Marx accepted the International's invitation to represent Germany and became the most active member of its governing General Council, which met every Tuesday evening, first at 18 Greek Street in Soho and later in Holborn. In this role, Marx had his first sustained contact with the British working class and wrote some of his most memorable works, notably "The Civil War in France". A polemical response to the destruction of the Paris Commune by the French government in 1871, it brought Marx notoriety in London as 'the red terror doctor', a reputation that helped ensure the rejection of his application for British citizenship several years later. Despite his considerable influence within the International, it was never ideologically homogenous... (homas C. Jones: "Karl Marx' London").The work was highly controversial, but extremely influential. Even though most of the Council members of the International sanctioned the Address, it caused a rift internally, and some of the English members of the General Council were enraged to be seen to endorse it. Thus, for the second printing of the work, the names of Lucraft and Odger, who had now withdrawn from the Council, were removed from the list of members of "The General Council" at the end of the pamphlet. "[Marx] defended the Commune in a bitterly eloquent pamphlet, "The Civil War in France", whose immediate effect was further to identify the International with the Commune, by then in such wide disrepute that some of the English members of the General Council refused to endorse it." (Saul K. Padover, preface to Vol. II of the Karl Marx Library, pp. XLVII-XLVIII)."Written by Karl Marx as an address to the General Council of the International, with the aim of distributing to workers of all countries a clear understanding of the character and world-wide significance of the heroic struggle of the Communards and their historical experience to learn from. The book was widely circulated by 1872 it was translated into several languages and published throughout Europe and the United States." (The Karl Marx Archive)Marx concluded "The Civil War in France" with these impassioned words, which were to resound with workers all over the world: "Working men's Paris, with its Commune, will be forever celebrated as the glorious harbinger of a new society. Its martyrs are enshrined in the great heart of the working class. Its exterminators history has already nailed to that eternal pillory from which all the prayers of their priests will not avail to redeem them."The address, which was delivered on May 30, 1871, two days after the defeat of the Paris Commune, was to have an astounding effect on working men all over the world and on the organization of power of the proletarians. It appeared in three editions in 1871, was almost immediately translated into numerous languages and is now considered one of the most important works that Marx ever wrote. " "The Civil War in France", one of Marx's most important works, was written as an address by the General Council of the International to all Association members in Europe and the United States.From the earliest days of the Paris Commune Marx made a point of collecting and studying all available information about its activities. He made clippings from all available French, English and German newspapers of the time. Newspapers from Paris reached London with great difficulty. Marx had at his disposal only individual issues of Paris newspapers that supported the Commune. He had to use English and French bourgeois newspapers published in London, including ones of Bonapartist leanings, but succeeded in giving an objective picture of the developments in Paris. ...Marx also drew valuable information from the letters of active participants and prominent figures of the Paris Commune, such as Leo Frankel, Eugene Varlin, Auguste Serraillier, Yelisaveta Tornanovskaya, as well as from the letters of Paul Lafargue, Pyotr Lavrov and others.Originally he intended to write an address to the workers of Paris, as he declared at the meeting of the General Council on March 28, 1871. His motion was unanimously approved. The further developments in Paris led him, however, to the conclusion that an appeal should be addressed to proletarians of the world. At the General Council meeting on April 18, Marx suggested to issue "an address to the International generally about the general tendency of the struggle." Marx was entrusted with drafting the address. He started his work after April 18 and continued throughout May. Originally he wrote the First and Second drafts of "The Civil War in France" as preparatory variants for the work, and then set about making up the final text of the address.He did most of the work on the First and Second drafts and the final version roughly between May 6 and 30. On May 30, 1871, two days after the last barricade had fallen in Paris, the General Council unanimously approved the text of "The Civil War in France", which Marx had read out."The Civil War in France" was first published in London on about June 13, 1871 in English, as a pamphlet of 35 pages in 1,000 copies. Since the first edition quickly sold out, the second English edition of 2,000 copies was published at a lower price, for sale to workers. In this edition [i.e., MECW], Marx corrected some of the misprints occurring in the first edition, and the section "Notes" was supplemented with another document. Changes were made in the list of General Council members who signed the Address: the names of Lucraft and Odger were deleted, as they had expressed disagreement with the Address in the bourgeois press and had withdrawn from the General Council, and the names of the new members of the General Council were added. In August 1871, the third English edition of "The Civil War in France" came out, in which Marx eliminated the inaccuracies of the previous editions.In 1871-72, "The Civil War" in France was translated into French, German, Russian, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Flemish, Serbo-Croat, Danish and Polish, and published in the periodical press and as separate pamphlets in various European countries and the USA. It was repeatedly published in subsequent years....In 1891, when preparing a jubilee German edition of "The Civil War in France" to mark the 20th anniversary of the Paris Commune, Engels once again edited the text of his translation. He also wrote an introduction to this edition, emphasising the historical significance of the experience of the Paris Commune, and its theoretical generalisation by Marx in "The Civil War in France", and also giving additional information on the activities of the Communards from among the Blanquists and Proudhonists. Engels included in this edition the First and Second addresses of the General Council of the International Working Men's Association on the Franco-Prussian war, which were published in subsequent editions in different languages also together with "The Civil War France". (Notes on the Publication of "The Civil War in France" from MECW Volume 22). Only very few copies of the book from 1871 on OCLC are not explicitly stated to be 2nd or 3rd editions, and we have not been able to find a single copy for sale at auctions within the last 50 years.

New-York, 1852. Bound in a later (ab. 1900) red full cloth binding with silver lettering to front board. A bit of wear to capitals, corners, and extremities. Front free end-paper with small repairs and strengthening. A couple of closed tears to blank outer margin of title-page (no loss and not affecting printing)Inner blank margins of the first few leaves strengthened (far from affecting text). Occasionally a few marginal notes. and underlinings. A near contemporary notice in Russian about the work has been inserted between the title-page and the preface. All in all a good copy with no major flaws. IV, (4), 62 pp. The exceedingly scarce first edition of one of the absolutely most important writings by Marx - his seminal essay on the French coup of 1851, which not only constitutes our principal source for the understanding of Marx' theory of the Capitalist state (together with "The Civil War in France"), but which is also the work in which Marx formulates for the first time his view of the role of the individual in history."This work (i.e. "The Eighteenth Brumaire"), written on the basis of a concrete analysis of the revolutionary events in France from 1848 to 1851, is one of the most important Marxist writings. In it Marx gives a further elaboration of all the basic tenets of historical materialism - the theory of the class struggle and proletarian revolution, the state and the dictatorship of the proletariat. Of extremely great importance is the conclusion which Marx arrived at on the question of the attitude of the proletariat to the bourgeois state. He says, - "All revolutions perfected this machine instead of smashing it.". Lenin described it as one of the most important propositions in the Marxist teaching on the state. In The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte Marx continued his analysis of the question of the peasantry, as a potential ally of the working class in the imminent revolution, outlined the role of the political parties in the life of society and exposed for what they were the essential features of Bonapartism." (note 1 in the Preface to the Third German Edition (Engels, 1885) )."The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Napoleon" was written between December 1851 and March 1852 and originally published - as it is here - in 1852 in "Die Revolution", a German monthly magazine established by Joseph Weydemeyer and published in New York. In this cornerstone of modern political thought, Marx discusses the French coup of 1851 in which Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte assumed dictatorial powers and does so by treating actual historical events from the viewpoint of his materialist conception of history.Marx states that his purpose with the work is to "demonstrate how the class struggle in France created circumstances and relationships that made it possible for a grotesque mediocrity to play a hero's part" (preface to the second edition, 1869), and he famously formulates his view of the role of the individual in history ("Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past").If one wants to understand Marx' views on the capitalist state, "The 18th Brumaire" is absolutely essential, as it is to the understanding of the nature, the rise, and the meaning of fascism. Among Marxist scholars, there's wide consensus about regarding Louis Bonaparte's coup and rise to power as a forerunner of the fascism that is to emerge the 20th century. In the words of Engels: "The fact that a new edition of "The Eighteenth Brumaire" has become necessary, thirty-three years after its first appearance, proves that even today this little book has lost none of its value. It was in truth a work of genius. Immediately after the event that struck the whole political world like a thunderbolt from the blue, that was condemned by some with loud cries of moral indignation and accepted by others as salvation from the revolution and as punishment for its errors, but was only wondered at by all and understood by none-immediately after this event Marx came out with a concise, epigrammatic exposition that laid bare the whole course of French history since the February days in its inner interconnection, reduced the miracle of December 2 to a natural, necessary result of this interconnection and in so doing did not even need to treat the hero of the coup d'état otherwise than with the contempt he so well deserved. And the picture was drawn with such a master hand that every fresh disclosure since made has only provided fresh proofs of how faithfully it reflected reality. This eminent understanding of the living history of the day, this clear-sighted appreciation of events at the moment of happening, is indeed without parallel. ...In addition, however, there was still another circumstance. It was precisely Marx who had first discovered the great law of motion of history, the law according to which all historical struggles, whether they proceed in the political, religious, philosophical or some other ideological domain, are in fact only the more or less clear expression of struggles of social classes, and that the existence and thereby the collisions, too, between these classes are in turn conditioned by the degree of development of their economic position, by the mode of their production and of their exchange determined by it. This law, which has the same significance for history as the law of the transformation of energy has for natural science - this law gave him here, too, the key to an understanding of the history of the Second French Republic. He put his law to the test on these historical events, and even after thirty-three years we must still say that it has stood the test brilliantly." (Preface to the Third German Edition (Engels, 1885)).The work is incredibly scarce. OCLC lists no more than two copies in libraries world-wide: One in the USA: University of Wisconsin, one in France: Bibliothèque Nationale. We have not been able to locate a single copy at auction over the last 60 years.

Valencia, Francisco Diaz Romano, 1531. 4to (205 x 145 mm). Exquisitely bound in a sumptuous richly blind-ornamented and gilt 20th century full calf binding. Five raised bands, gilt lettering, and smaller gilt decorations to richly blindstamped spine. Boards elaborately blindstamped with frames in different patterns and with smaller dispersed gilt ornamentations. Front board with a large centre-piece, also elaborately blindstamed and with gilt ornamentations, at the center of which the words “Libre de Consells de Jaume Roig” in gilt Gothic lettering. Back board with the same large centre-piece repeated, inside which a gilt centre-illustration (reminiscent of Bacchus) and the words “a bon seny no hi valengan” (Old Catalan for “common sense is not worth it”) in gilt lettering underneath. Binding signed Miquerlius to lower inside of front board. Single gilt line to edges of boards and broad inner gilt dentelles. All edges gilt. Leaf A4 with ink-annotations in contemporary hand. First leaves with marginal repairs and a closed wormtract, with loss of a few letters. Leaves L-O with closed wormtract in upper outer margin. Last leaves with marginal repairs and final leaf (woodcut illustration) with closed tear and a few wormholes, with minor loss of the illustration. With occasional brownspotting and a few leaves evenly browned. Washed. 139, (1) pp. (A-R8, S4) The exceedingly rare first edition of Roig’s magnum opus, his seminal masterpiece of Catalan literature. This satirical work on women offering extensive advice on avoiding their alleged deceptive nature, the pitfalls of marriage, including all the misadventures Roig himself has suffered during four marriages is widely considered one of the most significant pieces of literature in Catalan. The first edition is of the utmost scarcity and hardly ever finds its way into the trade. Salva (author of “Catalogue of Spanish and Portuguese Books with occasional literary and bibliographical remarks”) only knew of two complete copies, and as early as 1735, the book was already so unprocurable that the editor of an attempted reprint had to omit some parts for lack of an early copy. Salva’s own copy is now housed in the British Library, who states: “Scarcely any Spanish book is more rare than this first edition of Roig, of which Carlos Ros, who edited the works of Roig in 1735, was unable to find any copy whatever. It was unknown to Nic. Antonio who quotes the second edition of 1532 as if it was the first”. It was written in 1459-60 and has only survived in one manuscript (MS. Vat. Lat. 4806). During the sixteenth century, however, several editions of Roig’s text were published, although with a modified title: Llibre de consells (Valencia, 1531 and 1532; Barcelona, 1561) and Llibre de les dones me´sverament dit de consells (Valencia, 1561); in recent years, it is often seen referred to as “The Espill” or "The Mirror". While the 15th century saw the emergence of other renowned literary works in Catalan, such as Tirant lo Blanc by Joanot Martorell and the anonymously written Curial e Güelfa, the present work distinguishes itself through its distinctive fusion of realism, social critique, sharp satire and, to some extent, medical knowledge. This combination makes it a remarkable portrayal of the evolving socioeconomic dynamics and cultural attitudes of Valencian society at the time: “(The present work) is mere fiction, but it is full of autobiographical ele­ments and, despite the deformations imposed by the liter­ary genre, it especially offers a very realistic picture of Va­lencian society in the 15th century and specifically of the city of Valencia. Roig describes very precise aspects of the trades and customs of the era and evokes real events which he knew about first-hand. He also furnishes priceless de­tails on the knowledge and profession of medicine. In any event, as Antònia Carré accurately states, “the satirical de­formations and comical inversions of Espill should be un­derstood within the context of Galenic medicine.” (Ferrando, Catalan fiction in the 15th century, p. 37) ”The Espill (1460) (also called Libre de consells (Book of Advice) or Libre de les dones (Book of the Women) by its old publishers) seems to me to be one of the most singular works in 15th-century Valencian art as a consequence of the summa of a series of elements that its author, Jaume Roig (circa 1400-1478), mixes with unusual skill. Thus, its format (a narrative poem that consists of over sixteen thousand tetrasyllabic couplets), its subject matter (a misogynist satire with didactic and moralising contents), its external (a preface and four books divided into four sections) and internal (resort to fictitious autobiography in three of the four books) structures, the medieval traditions that channel the discourse (artes praedicandi, exempla, jokes...), the linguistic and rhetorical registers used (combining colloquial and vulgar language with learned terms), etc. However, Roig’s singularity must be understood equally in the literary context of 15th century Valencia, as interesting interrelations can be established between its creation and some of the most important works and authors of that time, ranging from Joanot Martorell to Joan Roís de Corella, passing through Isabel de Villena. On the other hand, it is also worth highlighting its wider context, for example in relation with its dialogue with the classical and biblical traditions or with the European (and Hispanic) “pro-” and “anti-feminist” debates of the 13th century, as Cantavella has analysed, within which it consolidates scientific and religious references, which are what are of most interest here” (Merida, Sodomy and the Sick Body of Women).In the 15th century, Catalan fiction flourished within the context of the Crown of Aragon's Mediterranean expansion marked by the rise of Valencia as its cultural center, a growing monetary economy, and increased interaction with other European regions, notably Italy, France and Burgundy. This rich environment produced several significant literary works including the present.“In the second half of the 15th century, writers from or imitating the bourgeoisie who liked to cultivate satirical and burlesque stories in verse, often in collaboration with one another, proliferated in Valencia. One of the most prominent was Jaume Roig... His Espill, is much more than a simple mi­sogynistic satire: it is a true novel that quite skilfully de­scribes the most grotesque aspects of the society of his day. (Ferrando, Catalan fiction on the 15th century, p. 37). Although bitter towards women in general, the work culminates in a glorification of the Virgin and finally in a beautiful full-page woodcut of the Virgin and Child with Saints Dorothy and Eulalie and two other saints - considered a masterpiece of the late Spanish Gothic style. Jaume Roig (circa 1400 – 1478) was a Valencian doctor and medical advisor to Dona Maria, wife of Alfonso V. “He studied Medicine and Arts and soon became a prominent doctor in the city, where he combined his medical practice with reading and writing. In 1443 he married Isabel Pellisser with whom he had six children. Jaume Roig's Espill was one of the most important works of the fifteenth century. His writing was in the romantic tradition of narrative in verse, not to mention the misogynist didactic tradition with comic and instructive elements. Espill consists of 16,359 couplets by means of which the narrator addresses his nephew, warning him about the ill-treatment he has received from women and therefore advising him to keep away from the female sex. Divided into an introductory poem, a Preface and four "books", Espill had a great impact in its day, so much so that four editions were published in the sixteenth century.” (Associació d'Escriptors en Llengua Catalana). Palau 275503: "rarissima" Lyell, p. 118: "very rare" Brunet IV, 1356: "fort rare"

Paris, Durand, 1758. Large 4to. Large-paper copy bound in a beautiful contemporary full calf binding with five raised bands to richly gilt spine. Triple gilt line-borders to boards, all edges of boards gilt and inner gilt dentelles. All edges gilt. A stunning, bright, clean, and fresh copy, with minimal wear and no restorations of any kind. Presentation-inscriptions to front free end-paper and to verso of title-page (see description in note below). Large woodcut title-vignette and many smaller vignettes throughout. (4), XXII, 643, (1) pp. + 40 ff. (i.e. the original, uncorrected leaves: pp. 1-16; 35-38; 59-62; 67-70; 75-78; 139-142; 145-154; 169-176; 187-190; 233-34; 227-230; 459-462; 547-550; 603-606 + 2 extra leaves that were printed incorrectly, namely p. 160 - reset & p. 239 - different vignette). Extremely rare first edition, first issue, with manuscript dedication-inscription from the author, of this monumental work of the French Enlightenment. This magnum opus of modern thought is considered the founding work of modern Utilitarianism, as it is here that Helvétius articulates the greatest happiness principle ("the greatest happiness for the greatest number") for the first time and becomes the first to define social welfare upon this utilitarian maxim, directly influencing Bentham and Mill.The materialistic philosophy of Helvétius' "De l'Esprit" also directly influenced Karl Marx, who had studied the work while in Paris and called the ideas presented in it "the social basis of communism"."De l'Esprit" arguably constitutes the greatest "succès de scandale" of Western thought and one of the most influential works of Western philosophy.This magnificent copy is stunning in all ways. It contains all the extremely rare condemned and repressed leaves of the first issue (bound in the back), it is printed on large paper, contemporarily bound (presumably under instruction by Helvétius himself) in a stunning full calf gift binding and with two manuscript ex-dono- (presentation-) inscriptions by Helvétius himself. One of them, on the verso of the title-page, is crossed out, but is still legible (reading "donum auctoris 17 avril 1760 Cl. Helvetius"), the second, on the front free end-paper reads "ex dono auctoris 1761" - thus indicating that Helvétius, who had the copy in his possession, to give away when he felt it appropriate, had first intended to give it away - perhaps late in the year - in 1760, and then ended up giving it away in 1761. The work lost its privilege almost immediately, and even though Hélvetius wrote three retractions, it was still condemned and publicly burnt. In spite of this, Helvétius still kept a few copies of the very first issue, with all the original leaves. According to Smith, 15 copies existed, and as Jacques Guérin also notes, these copies were all intended for his close friends and family (we know for instance that Rousseau received one of the copies). These copies, of which the present is one, are thus of the utmost scarcity. Only one other has been on the market within the last 25 years, namely that of Jacques Guérin, which, however, did not have a dedication-inscription from Helvétius.As Tchermerzine describes, the extremely rare copies of the first issue, which are either without the newly formulated leaves or with the original leaves preserved (our copy has them all!) are between 10 and 60 times as valuable as the later issues, depending on condition - these between 4 and 15 copies are the only ones to contain the 80 revolutionary pages that caused the work to be condemned and burnt and sent Helvétius into exile. Tchermerzine does not, however, account for copies with a presentation-inscription like the present. The work caused an immense uproar, when it appeared. It was considered so heretical, atheistic, and immoral that it lost its privilege within a fortnight; it was heavily condemned by the Church and the State and was burnt by the Hangman, the plan being to destroy all copies of it. Few books in the entire history of printing have been met with such opposition - it was condemned by both the son of Louis XV and the Sorbonne, and the priests succeeded in convincing the court that the doctrines were so dangerous that even though Helvetius wrote three retractions, the book was still publically burned; and when the Encyclopédie of Diderot and d'Alembert was suppressed for the second time, this had much to do with Helvétius' De l'Esprit and the scandal it had caused.This scandalous work, however, gained so much attention that it was almost immediately translated into all European languages, contributing to the immense influence it came to have on all European thought. "The history of Helvetius's De l'esprit (1758), his first major work, is eventful, complicated and paradoxical. No book during the eighteenth century, except perhaps Rousseau's Emile, evoked such an outcry from the religious and civil authorities or such universal public interest. Condemned as atheistic, materialistic, sacrilegious, immoral and subversive, it enjoyed a remarkable succes de scandale. The work lost its privilege within a fortnight of its publication. It was attacked in Church periodicals and in polemical pamphlets, in the literary salons and in popular songs, from bishops' pulpits and from the stage of the Théâtre francais. Though Helvetius retracted his book three times, he was condemned by the Archbishop of Paris (Nov. 1758), the Pope (Jan. 1759), the Parlement of Paris (Feb. 1759), the Sorbonne (Apr. 1759) and by various bishops." (Smith, p. 332)."In "De l'ésprit" (1758), Helvétius follows the Lockean sensationalism of Condillac and pairs it with the claim that human beings are motivated in their actions only by the natural desire to maximize their own pleasure and minimize their pain. "De l'ésprit", though widely read, gives rise to strong negative reactions in the time, both by political and religious authorities (the Sorbonne, the Pope and the Parlement of Paris all condemn the book) and by prominent fellow philosophes, in great part because Helvétius's psychology seems to critics to render moral imperatives and values without basis, despite his best attempts to derive them. Helvétius attempts to ground the moral equality of all human beings by portraying all human beings, whatever their standing in the social hierarchy, whatever their special talents and gifts, as equally products of the nature we share plus the variable influences of education and social environment." (SEP).D. W. Smith, The Publication of Helvetius's De l'esprit, in French Studies, 1968, p. 105.Tschermerzine III:672.

Hamburg, Otto Meisner, 1867. 8vo. Nice contemporary black half calf with gilt spine. Minor wear to hinges and capitals, which have tiny, barely noticeable professional restorations. Inner hinges re-enforced. Contemporary owner's names (Emil Kirchner and Karl Kirchner (1887)) to front free end-paper. Contemporary book-plate to inside of front board (Ernst Ferdinand Kirchner). A very nice copy with just the slightest of occasional brownspotting. Housed in a very nice custom-made black full morocco box with gilt llettering to spine. XII, 784 pp. Scarce first edition of Marx' immensely influential main work, arguably the greatest revolutionary work of the nineteenth century. With its attack on capitalists and capitalist mode of production, this cornerstone of 19th century thought came to determine the trajectory of economics and politics of the Western world. Marx' groundbreaking "Das Kapital" originally appeared in German in 1867, and only the first part of the work appeared in Marx' lifetime. PMM 358.

Paris, Chez Baudouin, Imprimeur de l'Assamblée Nationale, 1789. 8vo. Bound in an exquisite later red half morocco with gilt spine. Top edge gilt. (1) f. (title-page), 8 pp. ("Déclaration des droits de l'Homme en société"), 6 pp. ("Articles de Constitution"), (1) f. ("Réponse du Roi"), (1) f. (blank). Woodcut head-pieces. Title-page slightly bowned, otherwise in excellent condition. A truly excellent copy. The exceedingly scarce true first printing, in an incredibly rare form of off-print/separate printing, of one of the most important and influential documents in the history of mankind, namely the French Human Rights Declaration, containing also the articles for the first French Constitution. This groundbreaking publication constitutes a monumental change in the structure of the human world, providing all citizens with individual rights that we now take for granted. This monument of humanist thought appeared in the "Procès verbal de l'Assemblée Nationale", copies of which are also very difficult to obtain. There, however, the two parts appeared without a title-page and without the final blank, which together constitute a form of wrappers for this off-print/separate printing, of which only five or six other copies are known and which is present in merely one or two libraries world-wide. As far as we now, only one other copy has been on the private market, and that did not have the blank back wrapper. This exceedingly rare separate printing of the Human Rights Declaration, with the Constitution, was intended for the inner circle of those participating in its creation and was limited to a very restricted number of copies - all of which will have been owned by the creators of the Declaration. This epochal document is just as important today as it was when it was formulated during the French Revolution in 1789, and since 2003, the Declaration has been listed in the UNESCO Memory of World Register - "This fundamental legacy of the French Revolution formed the basis of the United Nations Declaration of 1948 and is of universal value". Few other documents in the history of mankind has done as much to determine the way we live and think, the way Western societies are structured and governed, and few other documents have had such a direct impact upon our constitutional rights and the way we view ourselves and others in society. It is here that we find the formulation of liberty and equality upon which so much of Western political and moral thought is based - that all "men are born and remain free and equal in rights" (Article 1), which were specified as the rights of liberty, private property, the inviolability of the person, and resistance to oppression (Article 2); that all citizens were equal before the law and were to have the right to participate in legislation directly or indirectly (Article 6); no one was to be arrested without a judicial order (Article 7); Freedom of religion (Article 10) and freedom of speech (Article 11) were safeguarded within the bounds of public "order" and "law", etc., etc.The content of the document that were to change the Western world for good emerged largely from the ideals of the Enlightenment. "The sources of the Declaration included the major thinkers of the French Enlightenment, such as Montesquieu, who had urged the separation of powers, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who wrote of general will-the concept that the state represents the general will of the citizens. The idea that the individual must be safeguarded against arbitrary police or judicial action was anticipated by the 18th-century parlements, as well as by writers such as Voltaire. French jurists and economists such as the physiocrats had insisted on the inviolability of private property." (Encycl. Britt.).The key drafts were prepared by Lafayette, working at times with Thomas Jefferson. In August 1789, Honoré Mirabeau played a central role in conceptualizing and drafting the Declaration. On August 26, 1789, in the midst of The French Revolution, the last article of the Declaration was adopted by the National Constituent Assembly, as the first step towards a constitution for France. "In 1789 the people of France brought about the abolishment of the absolute monarchy and set the stage for the establishment of the first French Republic. Just six weeks after the storming of the Bastille, and barely three weeks after the abolition of feudalism, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (French: La Déclaration des Droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen) was adopted by the National Constituent Assembly as the first step toward writing a constitution for the Republic of France.The Declaration proclaims that all citizens are to be guaranteed the rights of "liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression." It argues that the need for law derives from the fact that "...the exercise of the natural rights of each man has only those borders which assure other members of the society the enjoyment of these same rights." Thus, the Declaration sees law as an "expression of the general will," intended to promote this equality of rights and to forbid "only actions harmful to the society." (www.humanrights.com). This sensational document became the crowning achievement of the French Revolution; it came to accelerate the overthrow of the "Ancien Régime" and sowed the seed of an extremely radical re-ordering of society. The Declaration interchanged the pre-revolutionary division of society -in the clergy, the aristocracy, and the common people- with a general equality - "All the citizens, being equal in [the eyes of the law], are equally admissible to all public dignities, places, and employments, according to their capacity and without distinction other than that of their virtues and of their talents" (From Article VI), upon which today's society is still based. It is hard to imagine a work that is more important to the foundation of the society that we live in today.

(1822) - 1872. With the present Hans Christian Andersen-collection, we have aimed not at an exhaustive collection of ALL of his many writings nor at a LARGE collection, but at an exquisite, chosen collection that tells us the true story of Andersen's life. A collection that enlightens us about both the author and the man Hans Christian Andersen and that sheds light on all aspects of his life and work. A collection that epitomizes quality, scope, and importance, not merely numbers of items nor works that are not particularly important in his life's work. Every one of the 23 items in the present collection has been carefully chosen to represent a certain Aspect of Hans Christian Andersen at a certain time of his life, in an attempt to get as close to the great fairy tale author as possible. The items basically span his entire career - from his first book, published at the age of 17 (and only known in about 10 copies) to an original manuscript poem by the ageing author at the age of 67. The 23 carefully chosen and unique items cover his earliest publications that are of extreme scarcity, his three seminal fairy tale cycles that catapulted him into fame and created the genre of the fairy tale, for which he is now famous world-wide, five magnificent presentation-copies (among them an absolutely magnificent copy of his very first fairy tale, one of the best presentation-copies known) that each give us an insight into the poet Andersen and into his circle of friends, six splendid original letters that are all different in style and content and written from all over the world (among them one of the extremely rare letters known by him written in English, in Latin hand), an original manuscript, which is an extreme scarcity on private hands and something one may never come by again, two books from Andersen's own library, which is extremely rare to find, as only 75 such books are known and almost all of them are in institutional holdings, and finally the three main translations that ensured his fame in the rest of the world: the most important translations into German, English, and French respectively. The collection is divided into the following seven categories, and below follows a short preview and introduction to each. Upon request, a document with full, elaborate descriptions of each item will be provided. 1. Debuts/earliest publications (see also 3.1.)2. The three fairy tale collections/cycles3. Presentation-copies (see also: 2.3.)4. Letters5. Manuscript6. Books from Andersen's library7. The three main translations1. Debuts/earliest publications1.1. Ungdoms-Forsøg / Gjenfærdet ved Palnatokes Grav, en Original Fortælling; og Alfsol, en original Tragoedie. Ungdoms=Forsøg. Kjöbenhavn, [1822]. The extremely rare first printing of Hans Christian Andersen's first book - with facsimiles of the title-page, the contents-leaf and a further four leaves. The book is exceedingly rare. A title-issue appeared in 1827. No more than about ten copies in all of both the first issue and the title-issue are known to exist - only a couple of them are known in private collections, and less than a handful of copies are known outside of Denmark. The present publication, his first book, is of immense importance to Andersen's life and work and is arguably THE most important piece of Anderseniana. 1.2. Ved min Velgører Provst Gutfelds Død. Slagelse, 1823.The extremely rare first printing of the 1823-issues of this slightly obscure newspaper, which contains Hans Christian Andersen's third publication. This exceedingly rare piece of Anderseniana was published when the master of the fairy tale genre was merely 17 years old, namely in February 1823. The present publication constitutes one of the two pieces of publication that are at the epicentre of the coming-to-be of the greatest poet and author to emerge from Danish soil. This little piece is a heartfelt, almost perfectly stylized poem that constitutes an obituary of Hans Christian Andersen's early benefactor, Gutfeld, who was responsible for Collin accepting to be Andersen's benefactor. It was due to Gutfeld and his belief in Andersen that he made it on into the world and was taken seriously enough - at the mere age of 17 - to later be allowed to follow his heart and his life dream - that of writing.1.3. Fodreise fra Holmens Canal til Østpynten af Amager i Aarene 1828 og 1829. Kjöbenhavn, 1829. The rare first edition of Hans Christian Andersen's debut novel, "Journey on Foot", here in the extremely scarce original printed wrappers. Andersen himself considered this book his debut and refers to it as "my first publication". It came to play a tremendous role in the development of his writing and constitutes one of his most important works. It is the first piece of Andersen that yields any success and the first work for which he gained any recognition. "It is a well-known fact that Hans Christian Andersen made his début as a writer three times during his youth. The first time he published a book was in 1822, when "Youthful Attempts" came out... He was 17 years old, penniless and in need for help, but the main part of the circulation ended up in the paper mill... The second time he made his début was in 1829, when he published "Journey on Foot from Holmen's Canal to the Eastern Point of Amager", a book which can hardly be classified as a travel book.. it seems a subtle and humorous arabesque and a literary satire. This book was published in the year after he had left grammar-school and was qualifying for the entrance examination to academic studies at the university. It can rightly be regarded as a key, which enables us to understand the entire development of his later production...2. The three fairy tale-collections2.1. Eventyr fortalte for Børn. (1.-3. Hefte) + Eventyr fortalte for Børn. Ny Samling (1.-3. Hefte). 2 Bind. Kjöbenhavn, 1835-1847. A lovely set of this exceedingly rare collection of Andersen's earliest fairy tales. This legendary fairy tale-collection that created the fairy tale-genre and brought Andersen international fame, consists in six parts that together make up two volumes. As with most of the other few existing copies, the present set is a mixture of issues and likewise has certain wants concerning title-pages, half-titles and tables of contents. "During Andersen's lifetime 162 of his Fairy Tales were published, but the scarcest and most difficult to obtain are these six little pamphlets. We do not know exactly how many, or how few, copies were printed, but we do know that no copy with all the title pages and tables of contents has ever been offered for sale."2.2. Nye Eventyr. 2 Bind (5 samlinger). Kjøbenhavn, 1844 - 48.First edition of Hans Christian Andersen's seminal second collection of fairy tales - the publication that made him internationally famous - with all five collections in first issue, also the first, which is of the utmost rarity. It is in this legendary first collection that we find the first printing of "The Ugly Duckling"(not as is indicated in PMM in his first). The rarity of the first issue of volume 1, collection 1 is legendary. It was published on November 11th 1843 (dated 1844 on the title-page) in a very small number, probably due to the poor sales of Andersen's first fairy tale collection. Against all belief, this first collection sold out within a few days, catapulting Andersen into worldwide fame, and a second issue was published already on December 21st 1843. Thus, only very few copies of the first issue exist, and almost all collections of the "New fairy Tales" are bound with the second issue or the third of 1847, meaning that they do not contain the actual first printing of "The Ugly Duckling", "The Nightingale", "The Angel", and "The Sweethearts". 2.3. Nye Eventyr og Historier. 3 Series, 10 collections. Kjøbenhavn, 1858-1872.A splendid fully complete copy of Andersen's third fairy tale collection, WITH ALL 10 ISSUES IN FIRST EDITIONS, FIRST ISSUES, ALL IN THE ORIGINAL PRINTED WRAPPERS, AND ONE OF THEM WITH A SIGNED PRESENTATION-INSCRIPTION BY ANDERSEN - WITH 39 FAIRY TALES IN THEIR FIRST PRINTINGS. It is highly uncommon to find all ten issues of the series together, let alone in the original printed wrappers, each of which is a scarcity on their own. To our knowledge, only one other such set exists in a private collection, and that is in far from as fine condition as the present, where all but one of the issues (which does not have the back wrapper) are fully complete with the spines, exactly as issued. 3. Presentation-copies3.1. Digte. Kjöbenhavn, 1830.THE RARE FIRST EDITION - PRESENTATION-COPY, IN THE EXCEEDINGLY SCARCE ORIGINAL PRINTED WRAPPERS - OF ANDERSEN'S THIRD BOOK, CONTAINING HIS FIRST FAIRY TALE. The magnificent presentation-inscription - hitherto unknown and unregistered - is arguably one of the most important Andersen-presentations known to exist. It is inscribed to Henriette Collin, the then fiancée, later wife, of his closest and most important friend, who was more like a brother to him, Edvard Collin. It is one of the very early Andersen-presentations known. This first published collection of Andersen's poetry constitutes Andersen's third published book (at the age of 24) and contains, at the end, the first printing of any of his fairy tales, being also his very first fairy tale "The Ghost" (or "The Spectre"). This is the first time that Andersen uses the term "Eventyr" (fairy tale), the term which came to denote the genre for which he received world-wide fame as one of the most important writers of all time. 3.2. Nye Eventyr. Tredie Samling. Kjøbenhavn, 1845.An excellent presentation-copy of the first edition of the third "collection" of Andersen's second fairy tale-collection, containing five of his best fairy tales in the first printing - among them the cherished tales "The Red Shoes" and "The Shepherdess and the Chimney-Sweep ". Inscribed copies of Andersen's fairy tales are very rare and extremely sought-after. But the present presentation-copy is even more interesting, as it is inscribed to a fellow author of tales for children - "The poet Kaalund/ in kind remembrance/ of our first meeting/ the 29th of April 1845/ from the [NEW FAIRY TALES] (the printed half title) 's author." -in the collection of Andersen's fairy tales that appeared almost simultaneously with Kaalund's renowned "Tales for Children" ("Fabler for Børn"). 3.3. Historier. Anden Samling. Kjøbenhavn, 1853.First edition, in splendid condition, with the original printed wrappers, of the second part of Andersen's "Story"-collection, containing first printings of four of his famous fairy-tales. With a lovely, poetical presentation-inscription to Frederikke Larcher, signed "H.C. Andersen", translated as thus: "I put my bouquet on the board of the stage/ you yourself make the impression of a fresh bouquet". Frederikke Larcher was a stage actress, and Andersen might have given the little book as a gift upon her last performance.3.4. Nye Eventyr og Historier. Anden Række (første samling). Kjøbenhavn, 1861.An excellent copy, in the original printed, illustrated wrappers, of the separately published first part of the second series of "Nye Eventyr og Historier", with a lovely presentation-inscription to the title-page, translating thus "The splendid, the spirited,/ Mrs. Agentinde Renck/ send this bouquet of stories/ from my garden of poetry this spring/ Most heartfelt and respectfully/ H.C. Andersen." This splendid volume contains first printings of one of Andersen's most famous, most beloved and most frequently recounted fairy-tales/stories: "What the Old Man does is Always Right". Apart from that masterpiece of moral story-telling, the present publication contains five other of Andersen's great stories in first printings.3.5. Da Spanierne var her. Originalt romantisk Lystspil i tre Acter. Kjøbenhavn (Copenhagen), 1865. An excellent copy of the first edition of Andersen's famed play, in the scarce original binding and with a magnificent presentation-inscription to Rudolph Kranold, who at the time was director of the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen. His short reign here (until 1866) coincides exactly with the work on and premiere of one of the plays that was very closest to Andersen's heart, namely "When the Spanish were Here", which premiered at the Royal Theatre on April 6, 1865. Reading Andersen's diaries allows us to actually follow the play the entire way through to the stage. It is evident, both from his diaries and from the present presentation-inscription, that the play meant a lot to Andersen. As the inscription indicates, he's anxious that the play not be taken down again and he clearly asks Kranold to take good care of this play that is close to his heart. 4. Letters4.1. Autographed letter, signed in full ("Hans Christian Andersen"), in English, for the Scottish author William Hurton. Dated "Copenhagen 2 October 1851".The present letter is of the utmost interest, as it is written in English (in Andersen's own hand!) and also in Latin letters, as opposed the gothic handwriting that Andersen usually uses. Letters and inscriptions in Andersen's Latin hand are of the utmost scarcity. Out of the few known letters in Andersen's hand, we have even fewer letters by him written in English. He made an exception for William Hurton, to whom a few letters have been preserved, demonstrating his reverence for this Scottishman so fascinated by Andersen himself. Almost all of these letters are in institutional holdings, and the present one on private hands is a true scarcity. 4.2. Autographed letter, signed "H. C. Andersen", for Frederik Bøgh. Dated "Basnæs ved Skjelskjør/ den 3 Juli 1862". 4 pages.This very lengthy letter from Andersen to Frederik Bøgh is interesting in several respects. First of all, Andersen here mentions several of his works: new songs for the revised version of his opera "The Raven", proofreading and numerous comments for the "new edition of Fairy Tales and Stories", and a brand new fairy tale: "Finally, I have written a new fairy tale: "Snowdrop"." Furthermore, Andersen talks about his health and problems he has with his eye as well as the weather and his impending travel plans. It is clear from the letter that he is very close to his young student friend Bøgh. 4.3. Autographed letter, signed "H. C. Andersen", for Frederik Bøgh. Dated "Tanger I Marokko/ den 8 Nov: 1862.".An absolutely splendid letter with rare observations about Moroccan culture, the people, how they dress and behave, the food, the landscape, etc. It is clear that Tanger, with its "wild, romantic nature", its palm trees, its wilderness, the wild boars and hyenas, is very far from the coldness of the North. Andersen's fascination with the "half naked men" and women in horrible dress, with the bare headed Moorish Jews in kaftans, "the naked brown kids that screamed and roared", and the slaves that carry goods, leaps from the pages of the letter and paint a picture of a place that to a Dane in 1862 must seem oddly fascinating and so different. There is no doubt that this rich culture served as direct inspiration for Andersen's story-writing. 4.4. Autographed letter, signed "H. C. Andersen", for Frederik Bøgh. Dated "Toledo den 6 December 1862".A splendid letter from Toledo, which Andersen paints so clearly as only he can. "Toledo is a dead city, but with the life of poetry", he writes, after having described in detail, to his dear friend back home, the ruins and the melancholy that is Toledo. 4.5. Autographed letter, signed "H. C. Andersen", for "Kjære William" (i.e. William Melchior). Dated " Frijsenborg den 27 August/ 1868. ". A lovely, cheerful birthday letter for the young birthday boy William Melchior, who was turning 7 years old. The letter is utterly charming and describes the journey of the birthday letter itself, flying over land and sea, from Jutland to Copenhagen. The letter not only portrays the ease with which Andersen communicates with children, it also constitutes a miniature version of beloved Andersen-stories such as "Little Tuk" and "A Piece of Pearl String". 4.6. Autographed letter, signed "H. C. Andersen", for Frederik Bøgh. Dated " den 9 Maj 1873".This Beautiful little letter for Nicolai Bøgh bears witness to the heartfelt bond that Andersen felt towards his young friend. This little gem of a letter is very poetical - most of it is almost like a poem, describing the sun coming through the clouds and liking the clouds to snow and the heaven to Paradise. Furthermore, Andersen mentions his friends' illness, liking him to a bird that needs to be free. Bøgh had fallen ill the previous year, from an illness that would eventually kill him 9 years later, at the mere age of 45. 5. Manuscript5.1. Original handwritten and signed manuscript for a poem entitled "Stormfloden" (i.e. The Storm or The Storm Surge). November (22nd), 1872. 1 1/2 handwritten pp.Original manuscripts by Andersen are of the utmost scarcity, and only very few are known on private hands. The present is the manuscript for a poem that Andersen wrote just a couple of years before he died and which was published as the preface to a "Christmas Present" by Vilhelm Gregersen in December 1872, just a few weeks after Andersen wrote it. The poem is very dramatic and doomsday-like, but has an uplifting an upbuilding ending. It is inspired by the dramatic storm or storm surge that hit Copenhagen on November 13th, 1872.6. Books from Andersen's Library6.1. F. ANDERSEN, C.J. HANSEN, J.P.E. HARTMANN, P. HEISE and A. WINDING. Ni Fleerstemmige Mandssange. Udgivne af Foreningen "Fremtiden". Kjöbenhavn, 1866.Hans Christian Andersen's own copy, with his ownership signature to the bottom of the front wrapper, of this pamphlet of "Nine Polyphonic Male Songs". The pamphlet contains nine lovely songs written by the greatest Danish authors of the period, set to music by the most famous Danish musicians of the period. Andersen's contribution is the song "Hun har mig glemt" (She Has me Forgotten), which he had printed for the first time in 1854, but in a different version, with different wording. Here, it is set to music by F. Andersen. 6.2. G.h. [GEORG EMIL BETZONICH]. En Kjærligheds-Historie. Fortælling. Kjøbenhavn, 1862.A truly rare example of a book that has belonged to Andersen, with a long presentation-inscription from the author to Hans Christian Andersen to front free end-paper, dated on Andersen's 58th birthday. The author of the novel Georg Emil Betzonich (1829 - 1901) is not a famous author today, nor was he very famous at the time. It is interesting, however, that Andersen kept his book in his library. The book passed to Edvard Collin, who inherited Andersen's entire estate, when Andersen died in 1875, and also Collin kept it. It was sold at the auction of his belongings in 1886.7. The three main Translations7.1. Jugendleben und Träume eines Italienischen Dichters. Nacch H.C. Andersens Dänischen Original: Improvisatoren. Ins Deutsche übertragen von L. Kruse. 2 Theile. Hamburg, August Campe, 1835.The very rare first edition of the first German translation of Andersen's first novel, "Improvisatoren", being the first of Andersen's books to be translated into any foreign language. It is fair to say that no other translation before or after was as important to Andersen as the present. Before the work even appeared, Andersen had a list of recipients for the German translation. Among these was Adalbert Chamisso, to whom he wrote in April 1835: "Here I send you my Italian son; he speaks the German language, so your family can also understand him. I wish that in the great Germany people will be aware of my book and that I may deserve that awareness. That Kruse is introducing me as an author of novels should be somewhat of a recommendation;… For making such an effort of being known outside of little Denmark, I think, I cannot be blamed." 7.2. Danish Fairy Legends and Tales. (Translated by Caroline Peachey). London, William Pickering (Chiswick), 1846.The very rare first edition - ANDERSEN'S CLOSE FRIEND HENRIETTE SCAVENIUS' (BORN MOLTKE) COPY - of this highly important Andersen-translation, which contains the very first appearance in English of some of Andersen's most famous and beloved fairy tales: "The Emperor's New Clothes, "The Nightingale", "The Wild Swans", "The Buck-Wheat" and "The Dustman", and for the first time we here find the titles "The Ugly Duckling" (previously called "The Ugly Duck") and "The Real Princess" (previously called "The Princess and the Peas").7.3. Contes pour les enfants. Traduit du Danois par V. Caralp. Illustrations à deux teintes par Derancourt. Paris, Morizot, (1848).Extremely scarce first edition of the first translations of any of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales to appear in French. This first French Andersen-collection constitutes the introduction of Hans Christian Andersen's works in French literature, the introduction of the fairy-tale-genre in France, and a cornerstone in the history French children's literature.