THE HISTORY OF THE DEVIL
(DEFOE, DANIEL).
Histoire du diable, traduite de l'anglois. 2 vols.
Amsterdam, aux dépens de la Compagnie, 1730.
8vo. Uniformly bound in two nice contemporary full sprinkled calf bindings with five raised bands and richly gilt spines. Small paper-labels pasted on to top of spines. Head of spine on vol. 2 missing small piece of leather. Annotations and previous owner's name to front free end-papers to both volumes. A nice set. (10), 264 pp. + frontispiece; (4), 302 pp. + frontispiece.
Second edition of the French translation of “The Political History of the Devil”. The first French translation appeared the year before this present second edition. The book is a comic satire and in which Dafoe makes a parody of human stupidity and popular perception of the devil. Some scholars have argued that Defoe really did think of the Devil as a participant in world history. Dafoe here blames the Devil for the Crusades and sees him as close to Europe's Catholic powers. Consequently the book was banned by the Roman Catholic Church.
Order-nr.: 60800
DKK 4.500,00