BAYLE, Pierre.
Dictionaire Historique Et Critique, Par Mr. Pierre Bayle.
"Lay the foundations for modern critical historiography": Rare 18th century printing of Pierre Bayle's Dictionnaire Historique et Critique
Amsterdam: Chez P. Brunel, P. Humbert, J. Wetstein & G. Smith, et al, 1740.
$1,800.00
In Stock
Item Number: RRB-149737
* Custom Clamshell Boxes are hand made by the Harcourt Bindery upon request and take approximately 60 days to complete
18th century printing of the author's magnum opus. Folio, four volumes bound in full contemporary vellum with gilt titles to the spine, engraved vignette to each title page, text in two columns. Fifth edition. Text in French. With a Life of the Author by Des Maizeaux. Bookplates of Howard Robinson and Norman J. Sondheim to each pastedown. In very good condition. A very attractive set.
Pierre Bayle’s Dictionnaire Historique et Critique, first published in 1697, was a groundbreaking intellectual work that significantly shaped Enlightenment thought through its extensive biographical entries and rigorous critical commentary. Written in French and structured as a reference work, the Dictionnaire went far beyond a simple historical dictionary; Bayle used footnotes and cross-references to question widely accepted religious, philosophical, and historical beliefs. With a skeptical and often ironic tone, he exposed contradictions in traditional narratives and highlighted the limits of human reason and certainty. The work was particularly influential among thinkers who later championed religious tolerance, secularism, and freedom of thought. Widely read and debated across Europe, Bayle’s dictionary helped lay the foundations for modern critical historiography and was a precursor to the encyclopedic projects of the 18th century, such as Diderot and d’Alembert’s Encyclopédie.
Dictionaire Historique Et Critique, Par Mr. Pierre Bayle.
$1,800.00
In Stock
