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Octavo. Original blue paper wrappers printed in black. 19th-century Italian bookseller’s ticket to front pastedown. Spine strengthened at foot with tape, title with light vertical crease, slight foxing throughout; a very good copy. £550 [91158] 48 DUCPÉTIAUX, Édouard. De la condition physique et morale des jeunes ouvriers et des moyens de l’améliorer. Tome premier, second. Brussels: Meline, Cans et Compagnie, 1843 First edition of Ducpétiaux’s landmark work on children’s rights, scarce, one of a series of works of social reform and the means of improving the human condition written by the Belgian social statistician and reformer. Admitted to the bar in 1827, Ducpétiaux “was rewarded for his share in the revolution of 1830 by the post of inspector general of prisons and charitable institutions, a position which he held for over thirty years. His administrative successes included agricultural reform schools for young vagrants and the improvement of the free colony for the insane at Gheel” (Dorothy W. Douglas in ESS). The present work, over 800 pages long, investigates the physical and moral well-being of children working in mills, factories, mines, and elsewhere, dealing with questions of hygiene, education, drunkenness, delinquency, and the ways to improve conditions both in the workplace and outside. There is reference to practices in England and Germany, including legislation to protect the young. 2 parts bound in 1 octavo volume (227 × 152 mm). Contemporary quarter roan and marbled boards, vellum tips, spine divided in compartments with gilt roll decoration, lettered gilt, pale green endpapers, edges sprinkled blue. Tables and illustrations in the text. Spine ends and joints very lightly rubbed, some chipping to marbled paper. Short marginal horizontal tear to half-title and title and one
other marginal tear neatly repaired; a very good copy. ¶ Einaudi 1632; Kress C.6045. £5,500 [150273] 49 DUPONT DE NEMOURS, Pierre Samuel. Philosophie de l’univers. Paris: de l’imprimerie de Du Pont, [1792] In an attractive contemporary binding First edition of Dupont’s “treatise attempting to state a philosophy of life” (Saricks) dedicated to his long-time friend Lavoisier, in an attractive contemporary binding. “From the dates given at the beginning of the book, the Philosophie de l’univers was apparently written between December 20, 1792, and June 10, 1793. With the Philosophie , Du Pont included the ‘Oromasis’, a prose-poem which, according to his statement in the preface, was written while he was concealed in the Observatory after August 10. Although of inferior quality, this little work displays the same sublime optimism which Condorcet was able to muster in somewhat similar circumstances while composing his famous essay on human progress . . . The basis of his ‘philosophy of the universe’ is that nothing is done by chance. Providential laws direct the whole universe, as accords with good physiocratic doctrine” (ibid.). Octavo (194 × 123 mm). Contemporary tree sheep, red morocco spine label, compartments formed by gilt fillet with floral centre-tools, the fourth with elaborate lozenge pattern, turquoise marbled endpapers, yellow edges. Engraved vignette title pages for Philosophie de l’univers and ‘Oromasis’, tailpieces. Pencil annotations to initial blank and several marks and notes to the text. Head and foot of spine chipped with some small areas of wear to extremities, joints starting, front inner hinge cracked but firm, half-title thinned with a little loss to lower corner, overall a very good copy. ¶ Ambrose Saricks, Pierre Samuel Du Pont de Nemours , University of Kansas Press, 1965, pp. 221–4. £1,500 [122980]
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Peter Harrington
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