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Rare first edition of one of the earliest books exclusively devoted to cats

[MONCRIF, François Auguste PARADIS DE].
Les Chats.

With large green-coloured woodcut vignet on title, large folding genealogical table of an Asian cat, engraving in Errata, and 9 full-page  engraved plates, 2 folding, illustrating cats, engraved by Comte de Caylus and 2 signed by Goypel and many woodcut borders and tailpieces.

With large green-coloured woodcut vignet on title, large folding genealogical table of an Asian cat, engraving in Errata, and 9 full-page  engraved plates, 2 folding, illustrating cats, engraved by Comte de Caylus and 2 signed by Goypel and many woodcut borders and tailpieces.

With large green-coloured woodcut vignet on title, large folding genealogical table of an Asian cat, engraving in Errata, and 9 full-page  engraved plates, 2 folding, illustrating cats, engraved by Comte de Caylus and 2 signed by Goypel and many woodcut borders and tailpieces.

With large green-coloured woodcut vignet on title, large folding genealogical table of an Asian cat, engraving in Errata, and 9 full-page  engraved plates, 2 folding, illustrating cats, engraved by Comte de Caylus and 2 signed by Goypel and many woodcut borders and tailpieces.

With large green-coloured woodcut vignet on title, large folding genealogical table of an Asian cat, engraving in Errata, and 9 full-page  engraved plates, 2 folding, illustrating cats, engraved by Comte de Caylus and 2 signed by Goypel and many woodcut borders and tailpieces.



Paris, Gabriel François Quillau, 1727. 8vo. Contemporary calf, spine ribbed and richly gilt with a fleur-de-lys in every compartment, except one which is with a red morocco title-label. With large green-coloured woodcut vignet on title, large folding genealogical table of an Asian cat, engraving in Errata, and 9 full-page  engraved plates, 2 folding, illustrating cats, engraved by Comte de Caylus and 2 signed by Goypel and many woodcut borders and tailpieces. (2), 204, (16) pp.

Rare first edition of one of the earliest books exclusively devoted to cats. Written in the form of letters to a lady from the court it treats the position of the cat in different societies through history in an intentional pedantic erudite and at the same time frivolous style. At the end some cat-fables, love-letters between cats, letters from a cat to a dog, and a cat theatre-play were added. Although published anonymously the author was much ridiculed by his fellow "hommes de lettre", mostly due to the subject matter of the work, but the book itself became immediately popular. It still is the most famous classic in its field.
The beautiful plates inspired by Coypel show the Cat-God, cats enthroned, a cat made the sole beneficiary in the last will on a woman's deathbed, the tomb of a cat, a cat's theater, etc. The author François Augustin Paradis de Moncrif (1687-1770) was at his time a celebrated poet, musician and playwright, and the soul of all amusement at court and in high society.

Good copy of a rare classic on cats.
Cohen-De Ricci 721.

Related Subjects: Natural History  Popular Books  Zoology 

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€ 3.500,00

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