95 - [WOMEN'S ENCYCLOPEDIA] - [COLLECTIVE]

[WOMEN'S ENCYCLOPEDIA] - [COLLECTIVE] Universal Library for Ladies Paris, Rue d’Anjou [the second carriage entrance on the left upon entering from Rue Dauphine], Published by the Director of the Library [later by Cuchet, Hôtel Serpente], 1785–1791, 41 volumes In-18°. Contemporary full calfskin binding with grained finish. Smooth spine decorated with gilt motifs. Triple gilt fillet framing the covers. Gilt edges. Various defects in the bindings. Unbound. As is. A remarkable collection of volumes from this famous late 18th-century publishing and encyclopedic enterprise, one of the first of such scope entirely dedicated to the instruction and education of women under the Ancien Régime and at the beginning of the Revolution. Our lot consists of several complete classes or substantial, homogeneous series: 1. Class I: TRAVELS (Volumes 1–20—Complete series). A major geographical survey compiled largely by the poet Jean-Antoine Roucher. It offers a systematic overview of major maritime and terrestrial explorations across the globe (the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe), presenting accessible accounts of the voyages of Cook, Bougainville, and Chardin. 2. Class III: MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS (Volumes 1–15—Complete series). A humanistic and literary compendium bringing together treatises on French grammar, spelling, pronunciation, and versification, as well as on mythology and the history of the arts. 3. Class VII: MATHEMATICS—TRIGONOMETRY (Volumes 1 and 2). A rare scientific section introducing female readers to geometric calculations and trigonometric functions. 4. Class IX: NATURAL HISTORY - BOTANY (Volumes 1 and 2—Complete Series). A highly regarded treatise on herbarium preparation that notably includes, for the purpose of review, Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s famous *Elementary Letters on Botany*. 5. Class XI: MUSIC (Volumes 1 and 2—Complete Series). A theoretical and aesthetic study, drawing in part on Count de Lacépède’s *The Poetics of Music*. References: Mylne, V., *The Bibliothèque universelle des Dames* (1785–1797); *Dictionary of Newspapers and the Press in the 18th Century*, no. 0171. Provenance: from the Errera family library