The Life of Sethos. Taken from Private Memoirs of the Ancient Egyptians. Translated from a Greek Manuscript into French. And now faithfully done into English from the Paris Edition.

TERRASSON, Jean (1670-1750), [LEDIARD, Thomas, translator].

London: Printed for J. Walthoe, 1732. [Strange Tale] FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH. Complete in two volumes. Octavo (21 x 13cm), pp.[4] xvi; 460; pp.[4] 480 [4]. With a folding map to each volume. Recently re-backed in brown calf to match the original brown speckled calf boards, ruled in gilt to margins, with raised bands, and the original red and black title labels to spines. Also incorporating the original marbled endpapers; all edges speckled red. Armorial bookplate of William Courtenay Morland to front pastedown of each volume. Black ink ownerships to title page of each volume. Some light toning and spotting to preliminaries; just a hint of toning to margins thereafter. Quite heavy wear to original boards and labels. Restored to a practical, attractive condition. Very good. An explicitly didactic novel following the journeys of an ancient Egyptian high priest, first published in French in 1731, and later a key source for Mozart's 'The Magic Flute' (1791). The author cites 'Les Aventures de Télémaque' (1699) and 'Les Voyages de Cyrus' (1727) as models of literature which he hopes to emulate and perfect. Observing the proper importance of true history, the preface also states: "We might combine and melt down numbers of the great Men in history, and unite the events of many ages; before we should find those materials for wonder and imitation, which a judicious author of a fiction will often produce in but a small part of the life of one single hero." Item #59472

Price: £1,250.00