Maggs Bros.

An attractive, handsomely illustrated mid-eighteenth century edition of classic Greek writer Longus’ pastoral erotic romance, Daphnis & Chloe. Here two French translations are printed, facing each other; that by Amyot (printed in italic) on the left and that by Antoine Le Camus (1722-72) in Roman letter on the right. Both are printed within a typographical border. The designs for the engraved plates are those of the Regent, Philippe d’Orleans.

Rather unexpectedly, Antoine Le Camus was a physician and writer on medical subjects, and in particular a strong advocate of inoculation against smallpox. His preface to the present work is largely bibliographical but he does say (our translation) that ‘few have read the original Greek text; few have the facility to read the Latin translation; and even those who have read Amyot’s French translation are fewer than one might think’. The Greek & Latin edition of 1754 ‘in gratiam curiosorum’ is from the same stable.

The use of the word ‘curiosa’ in English to describe erotic literature is a late 19th-century usage, but its use in French is clearly older (see Neil Kenny, *The uses of curiosity in early modern France and Germany (*Oxford, 2004)).

Provenance: note at end ‘Acheté en mars 1775 de Jaquenot à 36 livres.’ Sotheby’s London sale 15 February 1977 lot 410.

Cicognara 1105; Cohen de Ricci 653; Tenschert, Longus (Cat. 86, 2020)), no. XLVI. Giles Barber, Waddesdon Catalogue, no. 423. (252846)