NOUVEAU ABRÉGÉ DES SCIENCES ET DES ARTS

12mo, pp. [ii], 11-372; with two folding maps and eight engraved plates; prelims excised (see below); small hole to O3, just touching the edge of a letter on each side, and occasional light spotting and browning, but otherwise clean and fresh throughout; in contemporary calf, flat spine gilt with skiver lettering-piece, red edges; somewhat worn and extremities bumped; 'De Pl. Villeneuve' stencilled on rear free endpaper, and some pen trials on both pastedowns.

Unrecorded issue of this general introduction to the arts and sciences for school children, first published in 1808 with Bruyset ainé and Buynard in Lyon, by the little-known Grenoble journalist and pedagogue Louis Barthélemey (1759-1815).

The work is largely arranged in the form of a catechism, and leads the reader, with no apparent logic in the order, through sections on religion, the nature of the sciences and the liberal arts, philosophy, physics, meteorology, earthquakes, jurisprudence, medicine and botany, rhetoric, poetry, language, the origins of printing, music and dance, arithmetic, trade, cosmography, and the constitutional arrangements of neighbouring countries, most notably England, whose economy and military strength is discussed at length, as is its unpredictability: a reader will be thrilled to know, for instance, that the King of England has 'le plein pouvoir' to make war (or peace) as he pleases. As for France, 'monarchique et militaire', we learn all about Napoleon and his family, the armed forces and the structure of the government; also covered are, inter alia, heraldry, cartography, how to colour prints, and Roman religion.

The work first appeared the previous year, with the author's name on the title-page and the imprint Lyon, chez Bruyset ainé et Buynand. This was dedicated to Pius VII, 'souverain pontife', and had an engraved frontispiece, a 10 page preface and dedication, and no plates. The present copy no longer has a frontispiece, appears anonymously, and now includes maps and other illustrations not present in the earlier printing. Our copy is also notable for the rather crude removal of the prelims; we have been unable to locate any further copies of this edition, but we can assume that the dedication to Pope Pius VII may have been swiftly removed (presumably by a self-censoring bookseller); it was of course in 1809 that Pius excommunicated Napoleon after his invasion of the Papal States, and was taken prisoner by the French. The removal of the prelims may then tell its own tale.

Not in OCLC or CcFr.