Manuel d'Épictète Suivi de l'Entretien de Pascal avec M. de Saci sur Épictete et Montaigne
Paris: l’Imprimerie Nationale for Editions d’Art Édouard Pelletan, 15 October 1920. Limited edition, no. 477 of 1,950.
Duodecimo in 4s (6 1/8” x 4”, 154mm x 102mm): binder’s blank, printed wrapper, A4 B4 1-174 χ2 (χ2 blank), printed wrapper, binder’s blank [$2 signed; –91]. 78 leaves, pp. [6] (limitation, blank, half-title, blank, title, blank) i ii-vii [3] (blank, fly-title, blank) 1 2-135 [5] (blank, colophon, 3 blanks).
Bound in contemporary (remboîté?) mottled calf with triple gilt fillet borders. On the spine, five raised bands. Title and author gilt to red morocco in the second panel. Number gilt to the tail. Gilt roll to the edges of the boards, continuing to the turn-ins. Marbled end-papers. Top edge of the text-block stained gilt, fore and lower edges un-trimmed. With a yellow, red and green silk marking ribbon.
Rubbed at the edges and hinges, with some craquelure to the boards. Tanning at the fore-edges. A printed card from A. & P. Lardanchet with an ink note dated “Lyon le 5 juillet 1939” laid in.
Epictetus (Ἐπίκτητος, AD I-IIc) was born a slave in the eastern reaches of the Roman Empire. He was freed and emigrated to Rome, where he was a leading light of the “Late Stoa,” the third and final ancient phase of Stoicism, named after the stoa (a covered walkway or colonnade) in the agora (marketplace) of Athens where Zeno and his disciples philosophized. Along with Seneca, Epictetus was a strong influence on Emperor Marcus Aurelius, whose own Meditations, along with the present Enchiridion (Ἐγχειρίδιον, handbook (literally “little thing in the hand”) or manual), are the major surviving work of Stoic philosophy, and in turn shaped the thinking of the Church Fathers.
The Enchiridion, compiled by Epictetus’ pupil Arrian, is a short guide to the master’s thinking as outlined more fully in his Discourses, of which only half survive. Stoicism emphasizes logical engagement with the facts of the world based on “if… then…” propositions; this stands in distinction to Aristotelian logic, which operates syllogistically — defining categorical relations between terms. Although it is often used in modern shorthand as suffering without complaint, stoicism instead asks its adherents to scrutinize the conditions of that suffering and to distinguish what can be changed from what cannot.
Stoicism has passed in and out of fashion (generally swapping places with Neoplatonism) throughout European history; it was particularly influential in XVI-XVIIc France, and the present volume follows a new French translation of the Enchiridion by Théodore Colardeau (1866–1923) with the dialogue (recorded or recounted by Nicolas Fontaine) between Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) and Louis-Isaac Lemaistre de Sacy (1613–1684) contrasting the stoicism of Epictetus with the skepticism of Michel de Montaigne, and reconciling them through Christian thought.
The volume altogether filters stoicism through French philosophy of the XVIIc, and presents it as a work of fine printing. Helleu and Sergent, as editors of Editions d’Art Édouard Pelletan, began the series “philosophes et moralistes,” of which the present volume is the second title. The limitation claims a run of 1,950 although the individual issues add up to 1,925: 25 on china paper, 400 on laid paper by Rives and 1,500 on “papier teinté.” The present example must belong to that final issue, although there is no apparent tint to the paper (perhaps a reference to the grey printed wrappers, which are bound in). The binding is in a decidedly XVIIIc French style, but the “1920” stamped gilt at the tail may indicate that it is contemporary rather than a remboîtage (reuse of an old binding).
The key may rest in the card laid in. It is that of brothers Armand (1899–1965) and Paul (1901–1955) Lardanchet, sons of the Lyon bookseller Henri Lardanchet. Armand and Paul opened their famous Paris bookshop at 100 Faubourg Saint-Honoré after the war, but the present card has their Lyon address at 10, Rue Président-Carnot. Dated just a couple of months before Hitler’s invasion of Poland, the card is blithe in the face of impending war; it congratulates the unnamed recipient on their success and pays homage to their parents.[1] Together with the time of year, it suggests a gift presented to a recent graduate.
[1] “Tous nos compliments pour votre succès! et bien amicalement avec nos hommages pour vos parents à qui vous aurez donné beaucoup de joie […] persuadé – et Bonnes vacances!” (All of our congratulations on your success, and friendly respects to your parents, to whom you’ve given so much joy… pesuaded — and happy holidays!)
Item #JLR0880
Price: $750