Contemporary gilt-ruled polished calf, gilt-stamped lettering in second and third spine compartments (5 raised bands), gilt-stamped ornament in spine compartments, a.e.g.; complete set of 6 volumes, 4to (293x216mm); pp. [6], xvi, [2], xvii-lxx, 330; [6], 446; [6], 442; [6], 420; [6], 618; [6], 554; with half-titles, engraved title-pages, author portrait after Coypel, 33 full-page engravings by Carr after Francois Boucher, head- and tailpieces.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Contemporary gilt-ruled polished calf, gilt-stamped lettering in second and third spine compartments (5 raised bands), gilt-stamped ornament in spine compartments, a.e.g.; complete set of 6 volumes, 4to (293x216mm); pp. [6], xvi, [2], xvii-lxx, 330; [6], 446; [6], 442; [6], 420; [6], 618; [6], 554; with half-titles, engraved title-pages, author portrait after Coypel, 33 full-page engravings by Carr after Francois Boucher, head- and tailpieces. Boards a bit rubbed; spines dry and a bit chipped; joints cracked (wht some professional repairs). Off-setting from engravings; previous owner's stamps with light off-set; intermittent spotting and toning, mostly marginal; a few leaves with short marginal tears; title-pages with professionally excised stamps. Armorial bookplate of Ross Ambler Curran. First edition of "Boucher's masterpiece. one of the most beautiful books of the early-18th century" (Cohen de Ricci). First state with the reading "Comteese" in Volume VI, page 360, line 12. "General opinion holds that the Boucher Moliere and the Oudry La Fontaine are the two masterpieces of French Book illustration during the first half of the eighteenth century" (Ray French 6). Cohen de Ricci 712-14.