LEVESQUE History of Russia. Paris, Debure, 1782. 5 volumes in-12, (I) xlviij - 442pp; (II) 516pp; (III) 570pp; (IV) a map & 548pp; (V) a map & 565pp - 1 ffnch. Bound in contemporary full blond marbled calf, 5-ribbed spine adorned with gilt fleurons, garnet morocco title-pieces (headbands worn). First edition, illustrated with 2 large fold-out maps of Western and Eastern Russia. Copy in very good condition inside. Work produced by Levesque during his 7-year stay in Saint Petersburg. Employed as a teacher and under the protection of Diderot, he was able to consult Russian archives at his leisure and write the best history of Russia published in the 18th century, becoming a classic that was reissued and expanded over the following 30 years.

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