Entretiens sur la pluralité des mondes by FONTENELLE, Bernard le Bovier de - 1686

[Lyon]: Imprimé à Paris; et se vend a Lyon, chez T. Amaulry, 1686. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 1st Edition. Hardcover. 12mo - over 6¾ - 7¾" tall. 12mo (155 x 84 mm). [28], 359 (i.e. 361) [1] pp. Woodcut device on title, folding engraved plate by J. D'Olivar, woodcut initials, head- and tailpieces, pagination errors. Contemporary French mottled calf, spine with 5 raised bands gilt in compartments and with gilt-lettered red morocco label, original endpapers (joints, spine ends and corners repaired, spine leather slightly cracked, extremities rubbed). Text with minor even browning, occasional very minor spotting, two leaves with torn-off upper corner not affecting text, clean tear in p.269/70 without loss. Provenance: unidentified armorial bookplate to front pastedown. A very good, clean and tall copy with several leaves untrimmed at lower edge. ----

RARE FIRST EDITION of Fontenelle's influential work of scientific popularisation, in which he expounded upon the works of Copernicus and Descartes "in terms that could be understood by an intelligent but untrained mind, [including] recent discoveries of the world of stars" (DSB), and speculations on the possibility of their being inhabited. "Le succès des 'Entretiens' fut exceptionnel: trente-trois éditions du vivant de Fontenelle ... Pour 'instruire tout ensemble' les 'Gens du monde', Fontenelle presenté les dernières découvertes astronomiques dans un dialogue galant" (En Français). According to the privilege, the publication was shared between T. Amaulry (Lyon) and la veuve Blageart (Paris) and printed without mentioning the author's name. The insertion of an extra leaf in gathering I leads to an error in paging.
References and literature: DSB V, p.59; En Français dans le Texte 122; Cioranescu, 17me siècle 30742; Tchemerzine V, 321a. - Visit our website to see more images!