CLERC (Nicolas-Gabriel). Yu the Great and Confucius, Chinese history. Soissons, Ponce Courtois, 1769. In-4° bound in full leopard-printed fawn calf, spine ribbed, decorated and gilt (Binding of the period). XVIII, 701 pp, [5] pp, [2] ff. decorated with wood-engraved bands and lettering. First edition of this study of the origins of the Chinese Empire and of Confucianism, its doctrine, its disciples and its influence on Chinese society. The volume contains 8 fold-out tables. Very good condition, slight oxidation of the paper and scattered light foxing. Armorial bookplate of Henri Tronchin, handwritten bookplate of Charles R. Tronchin on the title page, and label of the Bibliothèque de Bessinge. Provenance: Bibliothèque Tronchin-Givaudan, then by descent to the present owners Very good condition, paper slightly oxidised Binding: Slight and superficial small wetnesses on the upper cover. One corner a little depressed on the upper board. Head joint with an old small tear without missing Spine leather slightly cracked Old and superficial epidermis on lower board. Inside pages : Paper a little oxidized, perfis more marked Several light freckles Sparse spotting Small tear without missing along a fold for the first in-fine bound tables Tronchin- Givaudan Library Assembled and preserved by several generations of the Tronchin and Givaudan families, the Tronchin-Givaudan library bears witness to a deep commitment to knowledge, historical awareness and the exceptional. The selection we have the honour of offering at auction highlights a subtle balance between erudition and the art of living. Comprising mainly works from the eighteenth and twentieth centuries, this collection covers more than five centuries of printed production, closely linked to the history of Geneva and the Tronchin family, one of the city's great patrician lineages, now extinct. A number of seventeenth-century titles hark back to the origins of this lineage, notably around the figure of Théodore Tronchin (lot 2567). However, it was in the 18th century, with the acquisition of the Bessinge estate by Jacob Tronchin in 1764, that the collection really took shape. The works, many of which bear the bookplates of Jean Armand Tronchin (1732-1813) and his son Henri (1794-1865), make up a collection faithful to the ideals of the Enlightenment, combining public law, classical humanities, science, travel accounts (lots 2471, 2479, 2554..), major works of 18th-century printing - including the plan of Paris by Turgot (lot 2591) - and rare editions bearing the royal coat of arms, such as those of Madame de Pompadour (lot 2545). At the turn of the 20th century, a new page was turned when Xavier Givaudan (1867-1966), a leading figure in the industrial boom alongside his brother Léon Givaudan (1875-1936) in the fields of synthetic perfume, chemicals and soap, established in Switzerland in 1917, acquired the estate in 1938 after renting it for several years. The library and works have been preserved and in part passed on to his descendants. His brother Léon Givaudan built up a bibliophile collection focusing on Art Deco books, bringing together works sublimated by bindings signed by the great contemporary bookbinders (lots 2606, 2626, 2648, etc.). His library was sold at auction in Paris on 3 June 1988. André Givaudan (1895-1973), Xavier Givaudan's son, also had a particular interest in literature, joining several bibliophile societies and adding a number of modern illustrated books to the collection. All the lots marked in brown in the printed catalogue come from the Tronchin-Givaudan Collection, then by descent to the current owners.