Debra Nelson

LIS 710: Descriptive Bibliography

Project 2 Assignment: June 12, 2012
BRIEF DESCRIPTION:
Desfontaines, M. l'a
-1745
The history of the revolutions of Poland, from the foundation of that monarchy to the death of
Augustus II
London: Printed for T. Woodward ... and C. Davis ..., 1736.
TITLE PAGE:
THE | HISTORY | OF THE | REVOLUTIONS | OF | POLAND, | FROM THE | FOUNDATION of That
MONARCHY, | TO THE | DEATH of Augustus II. | [rule] | B M. LA

DES FONTAINES. | [rule] |

Translated from the Original French. | [double rule] | LONDON: | Printed for T. WOODWARD
between the Two | Temple Gates in Fleet-Street, and C. DAVIS in | Pater-noster Row.
M.DCC.XXXVI. | [printed label pasted on bottom of title page] Sold by J. JOLLIFFE, in St. JamessStreet. [end contents of printed label]
COLLATION:
(5 x 7.75 in or 12.7 x 19.7 cm)
[i-iv], 1-231,240-428 [i.e. 420] pp.
Page 232 is mislabeled as 240 and continues in that number sequence.
4 + 420 = 424 pp.
[A]2, B8- P8, Q4, R8- 2D8, 2E6
or
[A]2, B8, C8, D8, E8, F8, G8, H8, I8, K8, L8, M8, N8, O8, P8, Q4, R8, S8, T8, U8, X8, Y8, Z8, Aa8, Bb8, Cc8,
Dd8, Ee6
2 signatures are mismarked; Dd3 and Dd4 are mislabeled as Cc3 and Cc4
[A]2 = 2 leaves x 2 = 4 pages
B8- P8 = 14 gatherings x 8 leaves = 112 leaves x 2 = 224 pages
Q4 = 4 leaves x 2 = 8 pages
R8- 2D8= 11 gatherings x 8 leaves = 88 leaves x 2 = 176 pages
2E6 = 6 leaves x 2 = 12 pages
4 + 224 + 8 + 176 + 12 = 424 pp.

CONTENTS:
p. [i]: title page
p. [ii]: [blank]
p. [iii]: [double rule] | TO THE | READER.
p. [iv]: text
p.1: [double rule] | THE | HISTORY | OF THE | REVOLUTIONS | OF | POLAND, &c. | An Historical
and Geographical De- | scription of that Kingdom.
pp.2 12: text
p.13: [double rule] | THE | INTRODUCTION.
pp.14 24: text
p.25: [double rule] | THE | HISTORY | OF THE | REVOLUTIONS | OF | POLAND. | [rule] | BOOK I.
| [rule]
pp.26 81: text
p. 82: [double rule] | THE | HISTORY | OF THE | REVOLUTIONS | OF | POLAND. | [rule] | BOOK
II. | [rule]
pp. 83 140: text
p.141: [double rule] | THE | HISTORY | OF THE | REVOLUTIONS | OF | POLAND. | [rule] | BOOK
III. | [rule]
pp.142 191: text
p.192: [double rule] | THE | HISTORY | OF THE | REVOLUTIONS | OF | POLAND. | [rule] | BOOK
IV. | [rule]
pp.193 240: text
p.241: [double rule] | THE | HISTORY | OF THE | REVOLUTIONS | OF | POLAND, &c. | [rule] |
BOOK V. | [rule]
pp.241 335: text
p.336: [double rule] | THE | HISTORY | OF THE | REVOLUTIONS | OF | POLAND, &c. | [rule] |
BOOK VI. | [rule]
pp.337 - 412: text
p.413: [double rule] | THE | INDEX. | [rule]
pp.414 428: text
ILLUSTRATIONS:
Detailed wood engravings, floral in design, the decorative devices appear as fillers at the end of
chapters, otherwise a rule is printed when there is lack of space.
1 folded leaf of plates: map
0.2

ll w h c

ch l c

p. [ v]
pp

d p. . M p m

gh c

Adjacent Dominions of |RUSSIA DENMARK | AND SWEDEN.

: A MA O

2. w d
OLAND | with the

TYPOGRAPHY AND PAPER:

Paper: Pages consist of rag-based laid paper without appearance of chain lines, water marks, or
countermarks. Paper thickness is inconsistent. Edges of the block have been cut smooth and
have a reddish hue.
Typography: Black Ink.
Running titles throughout for all letterpress of text in chapters:
The History of the [left pages]
Revolutions of POLAND. [right pages]
Page numbers appear at the top of the pages. At the beginning of each chapter, the page
numbers are centered at the top and contained in parentheses.
BINDING:
Octavo format. The book has been rebound in a burgundy library cloth with beige endpapers.
The front and back boards are blank. There is an extra endpaper at the back of the book which
is distinctly older than the other endpapers, for it is rag-based with chain lines running
vertically. The spine is stamped in banner style with white lettering: HISTORY OF THE
REVOLUTIONS OF POLAND FONTAINE PA-fo
PROVENANCE:
Bookplate located on verso of front board: The
Project

l hM

m f Am

c SAVE THE BOOKS

On top of title page, and at the bottom of p. [ii], stamped in red ink: Archives
Penciled at the top right of title page: 86866
Stamped in black ink on pp. [ii], 412, and 428: ARCHIVES AND MUSEUM | OF THE POLISH ROM.
CATH. UNION
Stamped in black ink at bottom of p. [ii], and written in pen on page 71: 14005
A notary-like seal is stamped in black on the lower half of p. [ii]. This device has a cross and
CHICAGO, ILL. in the center. The words, POLISH MUSEUM OF AMERICA LIBRARY are printed
inside the circular perimeter.
Stamped at the top and bottom of the block: POLISH MUSEUM OF AMERICA Chicago
COPIES EXAMINED:

Polish Museum Library copy examined. According to OCLC/WorldCat (examined 30 May 2012),
there are 9 copies of this work; with 8 in the United States, and 1 in the United Kingdom.
In the National Union Catalogue (NUC, under the title of this work, Volume 140, page 386,
column 3), there are 5 copies; held at:
U.S. Library of Congress
University of Missouri , Columbia
New York Public Library
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Boston Public Library
No copies of this edition were found on abebooks.com or other online booksellers.
CONTEXT:
According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Desfontaines, examined 11 June
2012): The Abb Pierre Franois Guyot-Desfontaines (1685 in Rouen - 16 December 1745 in
Paris) was a French journalist, translator and popular historian.
Known today for his quarrels with Voltaire, Desfontaines can be regarded as the founder of the
new literary criticism and journalism in France, insofar as he sought to found his criticism on
aesthetic and ethical lines, rather than merely summarizing, reproducing or paraphrasing.
Desfontaines entered the order of Jesuits after being raised by them, and taught rhetoric in
Bourges before devoting himself exclusively to letters until 1715. In 1724, he became a
contributor to the Journal des scavans, attempting to introduce an amenity of style into his
scientific articles, avoiding dryness and pedantry.
He then published, with various collaborators such as lie Frron, Granet, the Abb Destres,
periodical collections of criticism: Le Nouvelliste du Parnasse [The Short-Story Writer of
Parnassus] (17311734, 5 vols.), and Observations sur les crits modernes Observations on
modern writing (1735 on, 34 vols.). These hastily written periodicals distinguished themselves
by the vivacity of their criticism and partisanship.
Desfontaines notably attacked the dramatic works of Voltaire, who had earlier helped clear the
abb's name when, accused of sodomy, he spent time in prison in 1724, and had also used his
influence to help him return to Paris after his exile. Voltaire retorted with a lampoon entitled Le
Prservatif, ou critique des Observations sur les crits modernes [The Condom, or criticism on
Observations on modern writing] (1738), which Desfontaines answered anonymously with a
short satirical writing entitled La Voltairomanie (1738), which compiled all the scandalous
anecdotes defaming its author at the time. This last saw a libel action which Voltaire only gave
up after Desfontaines repudiated the work in the Amsterdam Gazette of 4 April 1739. The war
continued several years, so that today the memory of Desfontaines is only perpetuated by the

epigrams of Voltaire, and those of Alexis Piron, a one-time ally of Voltaire who promised to
bring the abb an epigram every morning, and did so for fifty days.