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150 SOCIÉTÉ PHILANTROPIQUE. Rapports et Comptes Rendus de la Société Philantropique de Paris, pendant l’année 1805 [&] 1809 [&] 1812. Paris: De L’Imprimerie D’everat, 1806–10–13 First editions of these three annual reports by the Philanthropic Society of Paris. The society was founded in 1780 on secular enlightenment ideas, and remains in existence today. From the library of the Château de La Roche-Guyon, the home of the Duc de La Rochefoucauld, with their stamps to title pages. 3 volumes, octavo. Uncut in original printed wrappers. Largely unopened. Spines a little sunned, a little creasing around extremities, else in remarkably fresh condition. £650 [127733] 151 SOLOVIEV, Vladimir. Tri sily. Publichnoe chtenie. (Three Forces. A Public Reading.) Moscow: M. Katkov, 1877 The founder of modern Russian philosophy Scarce first edition of the Russian philosopher, theologian, poet, pamphleteer, and literary critic Vladimir Soloviev’s rousing lecture read to the Society of Amateurs of Russian Literature in April 1877. Mankind, he argues, is subject to three forces: the urge towards social unity, the urge towards individualism, and the urge to recognise God in other individuals and their societies. “Early in 1877 Russia declared war on the Ottoman empire in response to Turkish violence against Orthodox Christians in the Balkans. For the first time since the end of the Crimean War (1856), the Eastern Question returned to the centre stage of European politics and lent new urgency to the issue of Russia’s historical mission . . . his thesis was as simple as it was bold. The world is dominated by two opposed, but equally flawed, religious principles: the Islamic or oriental principle of ‘the inhuman God’, a formula justifying universal servitude, and the
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modern European principle of ‘the godless human individual’, a formula validating ‘universal egoism and anarchy’. The conflict between these principles can only end in a vicious circle. Fortunately for humanity there is a country, Russia, where East and West meet and transcend their spiritual division in a higher religious principle: bogochelovechestvo, the humanity of God. As history’s ‘third force’ Russia is destined to blaze the path not just to Constantinople but to the universal, divine-human cultural synthesis of the future” (Valliere, p. 114). Octavo, pp. 16. Original printed paper wrappers. Housed in a black cloth rounded-spine slipcase and chemise by the Chelsea Bindery. Small circular library label to front wrapper, oval library stamp to blank portion of first and last leaves. Wrapper largely split along spine, but still holding, front wrapper and first leaf a little crumpled at head, with a short tear but no loss, trace of library label and shelfmark to front wrapper; a very good copy. ¶ Paul Valliere, Modern Russian Theology: Orthodox Theology In A New Key , William B. Eerdmans, 2000. £7,500 [86058] 152 SÜSSMILCH, Johann Peter. Die göttliche Ordnung in denen Veränderungen des menschlichen Geschlechts, aus der Geburt, dem Tode und der Fortplanzung desselben erwiesen. Erster [-zwiter] Theil. Zwote und ganz umgearbeitiete Ausgabe; [with:] Dritter Theil, welcher Anmerkungen und Zusätze zu den beyden ersten Theilen . . . Berlin: Im Verlag des Buchladens der Realschule, 1761–62–76
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