LA BRUYÈRE (Jean de) Paris, Estienne Michallet, 1688. Les Caractères de Théophraste translated from the Greek. In-12 (15,8 x 9,5 cm), brown calf, ribbed spine decorated with gilt motifs, roulette on the edges, folder and slipcase (contemporary binding, Szekely folder and slipcase). A-B12, C6, C3-12, D-P12, Q1, [1] f. [30] f., p. 53 to 360, [2] f. Rare first edition which seems to correspond to the third printing. It contains 418 characters. The title page of our copy has a full stop after the word Greek on the title page, which is characteristic of the first edition. No unbound copy of the first issue is known to exist. A second edition, very rare, exists in about ten copies and includes 10 inserts (6 on the pages of the Discourse and three others on pages 61, 155, 177 and 222). Our copy corresponds to the third edition. "They contain 16 more cartons than the previous ones, the text of which has thus been significantly modified. These Cartons are divided as follows: f. Cij (second f. of the original C book, after which the hardback ff. at the end of the Discourse had been inserted), and ff. 97, 165, 167, 185, 187, 191, 221, 251, 257, 263, 273, 311, 317, 333, 353. Added to the 10 cartons of the previous edition, this makes 26 cartons for this new edition" (Tchemerzine). Some boxes, notably page 185 and 311, seem to have been omitted in our copy. Such omissions are common, and should not lead us to believe that there were other editions. Unlike the second edition, the last leaf of the Misprints is obligatory and is present in our copy. Scratches on the boards, headpieces and corners restored, minor wormholes, rare foxing, large tear on folio Hv without missing and affecting the text. Provenance : François de Belloy (ex-libris). Bibliography: Tchemerzine, VI, pages 307-310. Brunet, III, 719-720.