‎Jankélévitch, Vladimir‎
‎La mort‎

‎Secours a donner aux Personnes empoisonnées ou asphyxiées, suivi des moyens propres á reconaitre les poisons et les vins frelatés, et á distinguer la Mort reelle de la Mort apparante.‎

‎A Paris, 1818. Recent hcalf. Uncut. XXXVI, 238 pp. First edition.‎

‎Sur la Crainte de la Mort. Sur le Mépris de la Mort. Sur Suicide.‎

‎(Berlin, Haude et Spener, 1770). 4to. No wrappers, as issued in ""Memoires de L'Academie Royale des Sciences et Belles Lettres"" tome XIX (1763), pp. 355-406.‎

‎The memoir deals with the fear of death, contempt for death and suicide.‎

‎Loi relative à la peine de mort, et au mode d’exécution qui sera suivi à l’avenir. Donnée à paris, le 25 mars 1792. - [AUTHORIZING THE GUILLOTINE AS FRANCE'S STANDARD METHOD OF EXECUTION]‎

‎(Paris, L'Imprimerie Royale, 1792). 4to. Stitched in later marbled wrappers, with printed book label ""Collection Quarré-Reyboyrbon, Lille"" to inside of front wrapper. Contemporary handwritten inscription above head-piece ""Bon pour imprimeur chez M. Descamps Douay le 12 avril 1792."" (presumably in the hand of Quarré-Reybourbon). A bit of brownspotting and soiling, but overall very nice. 4pp.‎

‎Scarce first printing of the legal document that led to the guillotine becoming France's standard method of judicial execution. This groundbreaking decree of the National Assembly, given 20 March 1792, suspended all pendig death punishments and authorized the use of necessary expenses to achieve a more humane method of execution throughout the kingdom. The methods for achieving this humane form of execution is explained in the the annexed text signed by Antoine Louis (see below), the permanent secretary of the Academy of Surgery. The decree is as follows: “The National Assembly, considering that the uncertainty regarding the method of execution of Article III of Title 1 of the Penal Code, suspends the punishment of several criminals who are sentenced to death" that it is urgent to put an end to inconveniences which could have unfortunate consequences" that humanity requires that the death penalty be as painless as possible in its execution, decrees that there is an emergency.” The Penal Code of 1791, title 1, article 3 (Tout condamné aura la tête tranchée, “Every condemned person will have their head cut off”) should be executed “according to the manner indicated and the method adopted by the consultation signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Academy of Surgery, which remains annexed to this decree” and the National Assembly “consequently authorizes the Executive Power to incur the necessary expenses to achieve this method of execution, so that it may be uniform throughout the Kingdom.” (p. 1) Prior to 1791, under the Ancien Régime, there existed a variety of means of capital punishment in France, depending on the crime and the status of the condemned person. In 1791, there was a campaign towards the abolition of the death penalty, but later that year, The National Assembly refused to pass such a law. However, torture was abolished and a single method of execution was declared, that of beheading, which had previously only been applied to nobles. In 1791-92, the development of a mechanical beheading device was set in force by a committee in order to make the death penalty ""as painless as possible in its execution"" and ""uniform throughout the kingdom”. Note that before the use of a mechanical beheading device, manual beheading and a variety of other methods of execution had been in force in France. Ironically, what is now known as the guillotine was developed with the help from Louis XVI – who was a skilled amateur locksmith – with regards to the shape of the blade. This change towards a more painless method was ignited by physician Joseph-Ignace Guillotin in October 1789 at the National Assembly. Later, a committee was formed under Antoine Louis, the inventor of the guillotine, and physician to the King and Secretary to the Academy of Surgery. This committee included Guillotin, and although he did not invent the guillotine and opposed the death penalty, his name became an eponym for it. After its adoption, the device remained France's standard method of judicial execution until the abolition of capital punishment in 1981. The last execution with a guillotine in France took place in 1977.‎

‎Histoire des revolutions de Pologne. Depuis le commencement de cette monarchie jusqu' a la mort d'Auguste II. 2 vols. - [RARE WORK ON THE HISTORY OF POLAND]‎

‎Amsterdam (Paris), F. l'Honore 1735. 8vo. Uniformly bound in two contemporary full calf bindings with four raised bands and richly gilt spines. Small paper-label pasted on to top of spine. Front hinge on vol. II partly split. Ex-libris pasted on to pasted down front end-paper. Internally nice and clean. XXIV, 243 pp. + 1 folded map (2), 206, (38) pp. + 2 folded maps. ‎

‎Uncommon first edition of this history of Poland spanning from the beginning of the 11th century to the advent of Stanislas Leszczynski (1677 – 1766). Complete with all three maps. Barbier II, 766.‎

‎L'amitié après la mort. 2 parts. - [FIRST FRENCH TRANSLATION]‎

‎Amsterdam, Depens de la Compagnie, 1740. 8vo. Two parts bound in a contemporary half calf binding with five raised bands and richly gilt spine. Light wear to extremities, scratches to boards. Ex-libris pasted on to pasted down front end-paper. A nice and clean copy. XXX, (34), 288, (2), 267 pp. ‎

‎First French translation of Rowe's ""Friendship in Death"", originally published in 1728, a Jansenist miscellany of imaginary letters from the dead to the living. It became her most popular work, with over 79 editions by 1825 and ten more by 1840. It significantly outsold contemporary works like Defoe's “Robinson Crusoe” .The book consists of fictional letters from deceased loved ones and virtuous friends who have reached heaven and offer spiritual guidance to ensure their living friends’ and relatives' salvation. The letters discuss moral issues and contemporary dilemmas, resembling both moral essays and novelistic situations. Rowe's intent, as stated in the preface, is to promote the belief in the soul's immortality and the virtuous life it necessitates. ‎