FIRST FRENCH TRANSLATION
ROWE, ELIZABETH SINGER.
L'amitié après la mort. 2 parts.
Amsterdam, Depens de la Compagnie, 1740.
8vo. Two parts bound in a contemporary half calf binding with five raised bands and richly gilt spine. Light wear to extremities, scratches to boards. Ex-libris pasted on to pasted down front end-paper. A nice and clean copy. XXX, (34), 288, (2), 267 pp.
First French translation of Rowe's "Friendship in Death", originally published in 1728, a Jansenist miscellany of imaginary letters from the dead to the living. It became her most popular work, with over 79 editions by 1825 and ten more by 1840. It significantly outsold contemporary works like Defoe's “Robinson Crusoe” .The book consists of fictional letters from deceased loved ones and virtuous friends who have reached heaven and offer spiritual guidance to ensure their living friends’ and relatives' salvation. The letters discuss moral issues and contemporary dilemmas, resembling both moral essays and novelistic situations. Rowe's intent, as stated in the preface, is to promote the belief in the soul's immortality and the virtuous life it necessitates.
Order-nr.: 61253
DKK 4.500,00