Lettres chinoises, tome VI; Songes philosophiques

Date

1755

Notes

This volume is made of two books by Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens (1704-1771): the 6th and final volume of the Lettres chinoises (click here to access volume 5 and its detailed notice) and the Songes philosophiques, twenty fictitious dreams in which the author details utopia and, in the 15th letter, an encounter with French dramatist Jean Racine.

This volume belongs to the Ronald Dreyer Collection, which was donated by his wife Dr Marilyn Dreyer-Pigott to the Institute in 2014.

Alumnus of the Institute, Dr Ronald F. Dreyer was a diplomat and international expert in peace-building issues and democratisation processes. He also was a passionate bibliophile, who collected ancient books in connection with his own fields of expertiste.

Several of these remarkable items have been digitised to allow an open access to these beautiful and rare items, such as the volume V of the Lettres chinoises by the Marquis d’Argens (edition of 1769) and a calfskin-bounded volume of De la manière de négocier avec les souverains by François de Callières (1716). Other books of the invaluable Ronald Dreyer Rare Books Collection are to be digitised in the coming months.

To read more about the Donation Ronald F. Dreyer and the collection, click here.

Document type

Printed document

Digitization date

2015

Original Library

The Graduate Institute, Geneva - The Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Library

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