New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1991. Item #1562

8vo. 240 x 150 mm., [9 ½ x 5 ¾ inches]. [1], xvi + 280, [5] pp., including Appendices: Notes; Selected Bibliography; Index. With twelve b&w illustrations within the text. Quarter-bound in publishers’ red cloth with gilt lettering on the spine and blue paper over boards with “F S” in gilt on the upper cover; unclipped illustrated dust jacket. Book and Jacket are As New: a seemingly unread copy.

First Edition. Francis Steegmuller (1906-1994) was an American biographer and translator. In addition to his well-known translations of the novels, writings and letters of Gustave Flaubert he produced works on a range of French literary and cultural figures like Maupassant (1949), Apollinaire (1963), and Jean Cocteau (1970), among many others. The present work is a continuation of his wider project and focuses on the relationship between French saloniste Madame D’Épinay and Italian economist and philosopher Ferdinando Galiani as described in their extensive correspondence. Through the parallel histories of these two notable enlightenment figures, Steegmuller gives his readers a view into the culture of eighteenth century Europe and some of its most famed personalities.

Price: $50.00