MIRABEAU (Comte de). On the Prussian monarchy under Frederick the Great. London [Paris, Lejay], 1788. 4 vol. in-4° bound in full brown marbled basane, spines decorated and gilt, lemon tr. Vol.1: [5] ff, XLIV, 522 pp, Vol.2: [2] ff, 566 pp, [2] ff, Vol.3: [2] ff, 710 pp, Vol.4: [2] ff, 561 pp. With 56 out-of-text tables, most of them folding, and 19 pages of numbered statistical tables. First edition published in 1788 under a false address in London to circumvent censorship. This in-depth analysis of the administration, economy and military institutions of Prussia under Frederick II was written by the Comte de Mirabeau (1749-1791), a major intellectual and political figure in the early days of the French Revolution. The frontispiece of King Frederick II and the Atlas volume are missing from our copy. Armorial bookplate of Henri Tronchin and label of the Bibliothèque de Bessinge Provenance: Bibliothèque Tronchin-Givaudan, then by descent to the present owners Good condition Binding: Several corners slightly dented Minor scuffing and scuffing to boards Spines slightly sunned Red title label and fawn bookplate Inside pages: Clean overall Minor spotting The 19 leaves of statistical tables in vol. 4 are browned Several browned tables in vol. 2 Some collations have 59 plates/tables out of text. Our copy has a total of 56. The 19 numbered sheets of statistical tables are inserted between pages 180 and 181. 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.