[PRÉVOST D'EXILES, Antoine François, dit l'abbé Prévost]

Memoirs and Forewords of a man of Quality, who retired from the world Amsterdam, Aux dépens de la Compagnie, 1731 A RARE COPY OF MANON LESCAUT, ONE OF THE GREAT FRENCH NOVELS, WITH THE ARMS OF LE PELETIER DE SAINT-FARGEAU. IN FRENCH IN THE TEXT, N° 144 ORIGINAL EDITION of Suite et Conclusion des Mémoires (volumes V and VI) and of Histoire du Chevalier des Grieux & de Manon Lescaut (volume VII). Third edition of Mémoires et Avantures d'un homme de Qualité (tomes I to IV) 7 volumes in 4 in-12 (132 x 76 mm). Title pages printed in red and black, with engraved vignette or fleuron. Woodcut headbands, initials and endpapers. CONDITION : "A" edition according to Harrisse, Brun and Holland. Copper-engraved vignette on title pages of volumes I, III, V and VII, and woodcut fleuron on title pages of volumes II, IV and VI. Only volumes V to VII are provided with a false title, as it should be COLLATION: (vol. 1 t. I): *2 A-I12 K2 (K2 blank): (2) ff., 218 pp., (1) f.; (vol. 1 t. II): π1 A-G12 H4 (without H4 blank): (1) f., 173 pp.; (vol. 2 t. III): π2 A-I12 K8 (π1 blank): (2) ff., 232 pp.; (vol. 2 t. IV): π2 A-I12 K4 (π1 blank; without blank K4): (2) ff., 221 pp.; (vol. 3 t. V): π2 *2 A-M12: (4) ff., 288 pp.; (vol. 3 t. VI): π2 A-L12 M10: (2) ff., 283 pp.; (vol. 4 t. VII): π2 A-O12 P4: (2) ff., 344 pp. CONTENTS: vol. 1 t. I: *1r: title, *2r: publisher's notice, A1r: Book one, C8r: Book two, G4r: Book three, K1v: approval; vol. 1 t. II: π1r: title, A1r: Book four, D6v: Book five; vol. 2 t. III: π2r: title, A1r: Book sixth, D9r: Book seventh, H1v: Book eighth; vol. 2 t. IV: π2r: title, A1r: Book ninth, C10v: Book tenth; vol. 3 t. V: π1r: faux-title, π2r: title, *1r: letter from the editor, A1r: Sequel and Conclusion of the Memoirs... Book one, G9v: Book two, I6v: Book three; vol. 3 t. VI: π1r: faux-title, π2r: title, A1r: Fourth book, E9r: Book five, H7r: Book sixth; vol. 4 t. VII: π1r: false title, π2r: title, A1r: author's notice, A5r: Histoire du Chevalier des Grieux & de Manon Lescaut. Book one, I4v : Book two BINDINGS OF THE PERIOD. Granite calf, gilt decoration, arms in the center of the boards, spines decorated with nerves, speckled edges PROVENANCE: Michel-Robert Le Peletier des Forts, comte de Saint-Fargeau (1675-1740; arms (OHR, IX, pl. 893, iron no. 3); his sale, Paris, 1741, no. 1418, 8 livres 10 sols) -- unidentified bookplate in vol. 1 Small hole in H3 of vol. II, faint stains in I9 of vol. IV. Lower corners of vol. 4 slightly rubbed Volumes I to IV were first published in 1728 and 1729. Volumes V to VII were published in Amsterdam in 1731 where the author had taken refuge. The Company of the booksellers of Amsterdam republished at the same time the first four volumes in order to form a homogeneous whole. It is thus the first complete edition of the Memoirs and Forewords of a Man of Quality where Manon Lescaut appears for the first time. Michel Robert Le Peletier des Forts, comte de Saint-Fargeau (1675-1740) was maître des requêtes in 1698, intendant des finances in 1701 and conseiller d'État in 1714 under Louis XIV, then contrôleur général des finances from 1726 to 1730. His books were sold at auction in 1741. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Brunet, IV, col. 867 -- Tchemerzine, V, pp. 217-218, b -- H. Harrisse, Bibliographie de Manon Lescaut, Paris, 1877, p. 10, A, and p. 49, n° 3 -- M. Brun, "Contribution bibliographique sur les éditions des Mémoires et avantures d'un homme de qualité et de Manon Lescaut publiés du vivant de l'abbé Prévost", in Histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut, Paris, 1960, pp. 329-388 -- A. Holland, Manon Lescaut, Geneva, 1984, pp. 10-23 -- In French in the text, no. 144 -- V. de Diesbach, Six siècles de littérature française. XVIIIe siècle. Jean Bonna Library, no. 111