82 - A facsimile collection of three 18th-century texts in a 12mo volume, bound in period sheepskin, with a decorated ribbed spine. Wear; hinges partially split; top cap missing; corners worn; water stains on the upper margin.

A facsimile collection of three 18th-century texts in a 12mo volume, bound in period sheepskin, with a decorated ribbed spine. Wear; hinges partially split; top cap missing; corners worn; water stains on the upper margin. 1/ [BOUGEANT (G.H.)]. A Philosophical Amusement on the Language of Beasts. Paris: Gisset, Bordelet, Ganeau, 1739. First edition of this curious philosophical satire devoted to the language and soul of animals. Under the guise of reflecting on the animal world, the Jesuit priest Bougeant (1690–1743) ridicules the Cartesian conception of animals as machines and develops a fanciful theory according to which animals are animated by the souls of demons. The publication of this work, deemed scandalous, led to his temporary removal to the College of La Flèche. 2/ [DODSLEY (Robert), under the pseudonym Nathan-Ben-Saddi]. Chronicle of the Kings of England Written in the Style of the Ancient Jewish Historians. London, n.p., 1750. An engraved portrait as a separate plate. 3/ MARMONTEL. Denis the Tyrant. Tragedy. Paris, Sébastien Jorry, 1749. First edition.