Beschreibung:

DIDEROT, DENIS and D'ALEMBERT, JEAN LE ROND Encyclopedie, ou dictionnaire raisonne des sciences, des arts et des metiers . Paris & Neufchatel: 1751-77. First edition. Thirty-three large folio volumes (of 35, see below). Consisting of: Encyclopedie, ou dictionnaire raisonne des sciences et des arts. Paris: 1751-57 & Neufchatel, 1765. 17 volumes; Supplement a l'encyclopedie. Amsterdam: 1776-77. Four volumes; Recueil de planches. Paris: 1762-72. Eleven volumes; Suite de recueil de planches. Paris & Amsterdam: 1777. Contemporary calf, the spines tooled and lettered in gilt with raised bands and red or brown lettering labels, edges stained red. 15 3/8 x 9 1/2 inches (39.5 x 25 cm); profusely illustrated with engraved plates. The plates very clean overall. Vol. VIII of the plates is waterstained affecting about half the plates, the bindings attractive overall but some small losses and short splits to joints, ink stain to one cover; this set is lacking only the two volume Table Analytique, the latest works issued the series. The plates not collated and the set sold as is. The Diderot Encyclopedie is one of the foremost documents of the French Enlightenment. It was the most ambitious work of its kind in the 18th century, and is considered "A monument in the history of European thought; the acme of the age of reason; a prime motive force in undermining the ancien regime and in heralding the French Revolution" (Printing in the Mind of Man, 200). Begun in 1745 as an effort to print in French Chamber's 1728 English Cyclopedia, the scope of the work quickly expanded and caused a sensation as each volume was published. Despite efforts to suppress its publication, the work continued to be published by Le Breton until 1765 at which time it was handed to Panckoucke, who continued the work until completion in 1780. C