BEHN (Aphra). - Lot 3

BEHN (Aphra). Oronoko, or The Negro Prince. An Imitation of the English. London, Paris: Vente, 1769. — 12mo, 163 x 97: (2 ff.), xiij, 212 pp., (1 f.), 5 plates. Speckled fawn calfskin, triple gilt fillet framing the covers, smooth decorated spine, red edges (contemporary binding). Rare illustrated first edition of Pierre-Antoine de La Place’s French translation, revised and corrected. It is dedicated to Louis Phélypeaux, Count of Saint-Florentin (1705–1777). It is illustrated with 6 engravings by Baron, including a vignette featuring the dedicatee’s coat of arms based on a design by Charles Eisen (1720–1778), and 5 plates based on drawings by Clément-Pierre Marillier (1740–1808). A fine copy in a contemporary binding. The lower cap is missing; the corners are slightly worn. Scattered foxing.