RIVAROL, Antoine (1753--1801)
Discours préliminaire du nouveau dictionnaire de la langue française. Par A.C. de Rivarol. Première partie. De l'homme, de ses facultés intellectuelles et de ses idées premières et fondamentales.
A Hambourg (Place), chez P.F. Fauche et Comp., imprimeurs-libraires,, 1797.
[2], XXXIV, [2], 240 p. ; 22.9 cm. (4º)

According to the 'Avertissement' the Discours préliminaire du nouveau dictionnaire de la langue française was intended to be formed of three parts. The first part was issued separately with a view to raise interest (and subscriptions) in the proposed Nouveau dictionnaire by giving an idea of the scope of the work, together with a new corrected edition of Rivarol's treatise De l'universalité de la langue française (q.v.), first published in 1784, with the intention that the latter work should eventually be bound at the end of part 3 of the Discours. However, despite the publishers' plans delineated in the 'Avis Des Editeurs' leaf inserted after the title-page, encouraging early subscribers to the dictionary with a discounted price, further discounts for bulk purchases and participation in a lottery (payable in books), the ambitious project to 'refondre entièrement celui de l'Académie' came to nothing and the remaining two parts of the Discours promised for September [1797] never appeared.

Copy Notes Bound as issued with Rivarol's De l'universalité de la langue française, 1797 (q.v.). Possibly the copy of 'Rivarol sur la langue française' forming part of lot 77 at Christie's sale, 23 March 1813 (q.v.) with The works of Edmund Waller, 1729 (q.v.).

Binding C18th half sprinkled calf, marbled-paper boards, gilt-tooled spine with pentaglyph and metope motif, red spine-label.

Reference Number 403