[COPINEAU (abbé)]. Synthetic essay on the origin and formation of languages. In Paris, by Ruault, 1774. In-8, XV-464 p., [2] f., fawn-coloured basane from the end of the 18th c., smooth spine, red basane title-piece, gilt roulettes and fleurons, gilt roulette on the edges, yellow edges (snags on the head-cap, 3 corners dull, brown spots). First edition of this essay composed for a competition proposed by the Berlin Academy. It is curious to observe that the author took the decision to simplify the French spelling, notably by deleting the double letters that he considered unnecessary. Also attributed to the Jesuit writer Dieudonné Thiébault (1733-1807), professor in Berlin.

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