1785 Voltaire Œuvres Complètes Kehl Edition, 70 Volumes, Original Calf Bindings

$12,500.00
A complete set of Voltaire’s monumental Œuvres complètes, published by the Société littéraire typographique de Kehl under the direction associated with Beaumarchais, dating from circa 1785–1789. This substantial 70-volume octavo edition represents one of the most significant Enlightenment publishing undertakings of the late eighteenth century, uniting the vast literary, philosophical, and historical output of Voltaire in a uniform and ambitious collected form. The present set is bound in its original contemporary calf bindings, exhibiting the natural patina and wear consistent with age and long-term domestic library use. The volumes remain firmly bound, with tight text blocks and generally bright, clean internal pages throughout, suggesting careful historical preservation within a single family provenance in the Champagne region of France. The bindings display expected shelf wear and minor rubbing to extremities, including occasional bumping to spine heads and a single volume with a missing spine label, though no structural weakness or cracking is apparent. This edition, often referred to as the Kehl edition, stands as a landmark in Enlightenment print culture, combining editorial ambition with early modern typographic sophistication. Complete sets in original bindings are increasingly uncommon on the market, particularly those retaining coherence, uniform appearance, and internal cleanliness such as the present example. The set is well suited both to the collector of Enlightenment literature and to the decorative library market, where complete eighteenth-century French philosophical works continue to command strong interest. Check out some of my other books here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DCSILVERSHOP?ref=shop_sugg§ion_id=29392957 Or just browse around the shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/DCSILVERSHOP
A complete set of Voltaire’s monumental Œuvres complètes, published by the Société littéraire typographique de Kehl under the direction associated with Beaumarchais, dating from circa 1785–1789. This substantial 70-volume octavo edition represents one of the most significant Enlightenment publishing undertakings of the late eighteenth century, uniting the vast literary, philosophical, and historical output of Voltaire in a uniform and ambitious collected form. The present set is bound in its original contemporary calf bindings, exhibiting the natural patina and wear consistent with age and long-term domestic library use. The volumes remain firmly bound, with tight text blocks and generally bright, clean internal pages throughout, suggesting careful historical preservation within a single family provenance in the Champagne region of France. The bindings display expected shelf wear and minor rubbing to extremities, including occasional bumping to spine heads and a single volume with a missing spine label, though no structural weakness or cracking is apparent. This edition, often referred to as the Kehl edition, stands as a landmark in Enlightenment print culture, combining editorial ambition with early modern typographic sophistication. Complete sets in original bindings are increasingly uncommon on the market, particularly those retaining coherence, uniform appearance, and internal cleanliness such as the present example. The set is well suited both to the collector of Enlightenment literature and to the decorative library market, where complete eighteenth-century French philosophical works continue to command strong interest. Check out some of my other books here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DCSILVERSHOP?ref=shop_sugg§ion_id=29392957 Or just browse around the shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/DCSILVERSHOP