Montesquieu, Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de

2 volumes, 8vo (200 x 125mm.), half-titles, woodcut initials, head- and tailpieces, contemporary speckled calf, bindings slightly rubbed, joints cracked, spines varnished

R.C.C.M., initials at foot of spines; St Patrick's College Library, Maynooth, bookstamps in volume 2; Los Angeles Law Library, bookplates, sale, Bonhams, 20 May 2014, part of lot 100

cf. PMM 197 (first edition of 1748)

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

FIRST LONDON EDITION OF MONTESQUIEU. The correct attribution of date and printing of this edition has been established by R. Shackleton, "John Nourse and the London edition of L'Esprit des lois", Studies in the French Eighteenth Century presented to John Lough (Durham, 1978), 248-259. The device on the title-page, in imitation of Barrillot's, also appears in the first English translation, published by Nourse in 1750, and the Monthly Review for July 1749 published a lengthy review of this edition, with the pagination correctly described.

After the publication of the first edition (Geneva: Barrillot, 1748), Montesquieu drew up extensive lists of corrections to the text (indeed, this edition mentions on the title-page "...faite sur les corrections de l'auteur") which he distributed to the various publishers of this work: Barrillot, Huart in Paris and Nourse. Nourse would have had no use for the corrections to the French text if he were not indeed about to print it.

This London imprint is not recorded in ESTC, though there are copies listed in Copac that are most likely this edition.