BERNARDIN DE SAINT-PIERRE (Jacques-Henri). Studies of Nature - Lot 34

BERNARDIN DE SAINT-PIERRE (Jacques-Henri). Studies of Nature. Paris, Librairie de Firmin Didot Frères, Fils et Cie, printers to the Institut de France, 56 Rue Jacob, 1857. A substantial in-12 volume, bound in red half-shagreen with corner pieces, marbled paper covers, a ribbed spine decorated with gold fillets and dotted lines, and two title labels in midnight blue morocco with gold lettering. A single-volume edition of the famous *Études de la nature* by Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre (1737–1814). This 1857 Firmin Didot edition comprises 563 pages and is well-represented in public collections. First published in 1784, the work is one of Bernardin de Saint-Pierre’s major texts and has been reprinted numerous times. The fourteen “études” blend observations of nature, physical considerations, and moral and philosophical reflections; the work played a particularly important role in the development of a new sensibility toward landscape that foreshadowed certain aspects of Romanticism. Provenance: an old blue-ink stamp on the title page, likely from a library in Lisieux, identical to the one appearing on the previous volume by Bernardin de Saint-Pierre. A fine copy in a decorative 19th-century binding: red half-shagreen with corner pieces, marbled paper, and midnight-blue title labels. Some scuffing and minor wear to the spine and corners; the top cap is slightly scuffed, and there is a small tear in the bottom cap. A few scattered foxing spots, particularly on the first few pages; an old stamp on the title page. Overall, a sturdy and decorative volume.