145 ROUSSEAU, Jean Jacques. Principes du droit politique (Du contrat social). [Bound with:] Discours sur l’oeconomie politique. Amsterdam: Marc Michel Rey [Discours: Geneva, Du Villard], 1762 & 1758 one of the most important single works in the history of political philosophy First edition, Dufour’s variant B, the definitive version of the C ontrat social , Rousseau’s greatest book; bound here with the first edition in book form of Rousseau’s Discours sur l’oeconomie, first published in 1755 in the Encyclopédie , volume V. The publication history of the first edition of the Contrat social is somewhat complicated. The letters sent by Rousseau to his publisher, Marc Michel Rey, establish that variant A was abandoned in favour of variant B, which became the definitive version. The changes the author required concern the title page and the last pages. The title vignette of variant A copies depicts Justice, but Rousseau wrote to Rey asking for a vignette of Liberty. It was to be based on the vignette that had been used in Rousseau’s Discours sur l’inégalité (1755), although he found the illustration distasteful, as it made the allegorical figure look like “une grosse joufflue”. Rousseau subsequently found the title page too crowded, hence the move in variant B of the first half of the title (“Du Contract Social”) to the half-title, where it is followed by a semicolon. Additionally, the 24-line note on civil marriage at the end of the text was removed in variant B, thus suppressing page 324, due to fears that it might cause the book to be censored in France. “The Contract Social remains Rousseau’s greatest work. With no particular learning, no gift for logic, and a total lack of practical experience, he yet contrived to write a work of compelling eloquence . . . His work had the most profound influence on the political thinking of the generation following its publication” ( PMM ). 2 works bound in one volume, octavo (188 × 120 mm). Contemporary polished marbled calf, spine elaborately gilt- tooled in compartments with red label and raised bands, marbled endpapers, red edges. Contrat Social : engraved title vignette of Liberty by Boily after Bolomey. Discours : woodcut title vignette with motto “Labor improbus omnia vincit”. To both: engraved head- and tailpieces, initials. Lightly rubbed, professional restoration at spine ends, boards superficially marked, spine label chipped, contents crisp and evenly browned, with sporadic foxing and a few faint patches of damp stain, contemporary ownership signature on title page of Contrat Social , and some brown marks to pp. 17–22 of
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same. Overall in very good condition. ¶ Contrat social : Dufour 133; En français dans le texte 162; Tchemerzine V, 543; Printing and the Mind of Man 207. Discours : Dufour 68; Higgs 1627; Tchemerzine X, 33 (b). £15,000 [156781] 146 RUSKIN, John. The Stones of Venice. London: Signed limited edition, one of 1,500 copies signed by the author at the end of the preface. One of the key texts of the aesthetic movements, The Stones of Venice was first published in 1851–3 and was “a revolutionary success” ( PMM ). 3 volumes, large octavo (280 × 175 mm). Finely bound by R. Bedford in brown morocco, raised bands and compartments to spine tooled in gilt, spine lettered in gilt, gilt tooled borders to covers, turn ins tooled in gilt, marbled endpapers, edges gilt. With 53 plates, including 5 hand-coloured, by Thomas Lupton, J. C. Armytage, R. P. Cuff and others after Ruskin, illustrations in the text, vol. II with additional plate bound in at, p. 282, and a further loosely inserted. ¶ Printing and the Mind of Man 315 (for the first edition). £3,000 [154898] Smith, Elder, and Co., 1874 a revolutionary success
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147 RUSSELL, Henry Grinnell. “Log of the Yacht Harbinger, 1886–1894.” Providence, RI: 1886–94 a golden age, when the worst tragedy that could befall a man was a foggy, windless day Detailed logs of the Harbinger , a 76-foot schooner yacht, owned by Henry Grinnell Russell, scion of a long-established New Bedford commercial family. They document eight years of the cruises, races, and social events that marked the summer season for the East Coast beau monde. Additionally, every yacht, owner, captain, or builder of note of the era is mentioned in these pages. The Harbinger was designed by J. Cary Smith and built in 1884 by G. Lawley and Son, of Neponset, Mass., for the railroad magnate John Murray Forbes. In 1886 she was purchased by Henry Grinnell Russell and home-ported in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. The Rhode Island Pendulum reported that when she tied up at her summer moorings there in 1894, “her arrival was announced by a rousing cheer”. Each summer she made the round of ports and watering holes along the New England coast and Long Island Sound, took part in the cruise of the New York Yacht Club, and joined the spectator fleet for the Goelet Cup races. In 1886
she was present for America’s Cup races, the detailed account of which covers some ten pages of the log, and although designed and appointed for luxury cruising, the Harbinger even had a race or two herself. As a young man, Russell had spent some time in Liverpool on family business, where he had developed a passion for yachting. “He always took an ardent interest in yachting and was an enthusiast at the time of the first America’s Cup race which took place during his period of residence in England. He was a life member of the New York Yacht Club; his name is among the first on the list” (obit.). 2 volumes, small quarto (210 × 175 mm). Contemporary half sheep, ruled ledger-books, one red with brown diapered cloth sides, the other with black on marbled paper sides, both skilfully rebacked to style. Approx. 500 pages of neat, and clearly legible manuscript in several hands, a quantity of news-clippings related to events in the journal account mounted on the relevant pages. A little rubbed at the extremities, light occasional toning, offsetting from news- clippings. A very good set. ¶ “Henry Grinnell Russell, obituary”, Proceedings of the Rhode Island Historical Society , 1904– 5; The Rhode Island Pendulum , 8 June 1894. £6,000 [158896]
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All items are fully described and photographed at peterharrington.co.uk
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