RICHARD (Jérôme), La Théorie des songes, Paris: les frères Estienne, 1766. - In-12, Bradel-style marbled paper boards, smooth spine (Devauchelle). Caillet, n° 9401 (wrong author). - Dorbon, no. 4124 - Guaita, no. 2052 ("Very rare"). Unique edition of this treatise by Abbé Jérôme Richard (17..-1800?), ecclesiastic and canon of Vézelay: "This work may be considered the earliest serious attempt to understand and interpret dreams. In particular, it contains highly interesting remarks on the association of ideas. It is, in the 18th century, a direct precursor of Freud's Science of Dreams" ("Précursursurs français de la psychiatrie et de la psychanalyse", no. 5561). The study is divided into 22 chapters, dealing in turn with the interpreters of dreams, the origin and principle of dreams, the cause of frightening dreams, the principle of feeling and M. Pascal's singular idea, simple and compound dreams, and the principle of association. Pascal, simple and compound dreams, the variety of dreams, marvelous dreams, the physical cause of the action of somnambulists, madness, etc. A good copy in Devauchelle binding.