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‎PROVINCIALES, LES, modernes, ou Lettres par un Anonime de Province, A Mr. ** Premier Commis de *** A Paris. Sur l'état de la France depuis l'année 1698, contenant les veritables causes de la misere, dans laquelle le Royaume se trouve, avec des moyens seurs & faciles pour le rétablir dans sa première splendeur par les bonnes maximes que l'on y établit sur les finances, sur le commerce & sur la politique, à quoi on ajoute quelques réflexions sur les principales religions du monde & sur les matières du temps.‎

‎A Amsterdam, Chez Nicolas Viollet, 1702. Title printed in red and black. 108 unnumbered leaves. Small 4to. Later half marbled calf, marbled boards, corners somewhat bumped, short split in front joint at foot, small damage at foot of spine. Conlon, Prélude, 11055; not in Kress; not in Goldsmiths; not in Einaudi; not in INED. First edition, very rare, containing the letters 6 through 31. After the title-page is an 'Avertissement', followed by a 'Sommaire des Lettres provinciales, depuis la première, jusqu'à la vingt-cinquième' of two leaves containing the summaries of the first 8 letters and a part of the ninth, lacking whatever was published further, followed by the 'Sixième Lettre du Marchand de Province, &c' upto the 'Trente-et-unième Lettre Provinciale'. From the summary we can see that the first letters were published in 1699, and the 31st letter is dated October 31, 1701. Apparently the first six letters were published as 'Lettre du marchand de Province, .....', with the 7th letter the title becomes 'Lettre Provinciale ......' All letters have 4 leaves. They all deal with commerce and trade, finance and financial politics, religion and religious conflicts, and politics.This is possibly a collective edition of separately issued letters with a specialy printed title-page. The piece is very rare: the BN (l'Arsenal) has a copy with the first six letters, but containing 22 letters only, the letters 23-31 being absent. ‎

Reference : 24339

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