adjectis cum cura illustrantur.
Francofvrti: ex Officina
Christiani Wolffii typis
Joannis Andreae,
1673.
First Edition. 4to. 197 leaves; engraved title frontispiece, folded engraved map, title printed in red and black, woodcut on the
printed title (repeated on page 300), numerous woodcut illustrations.
Graesse VI, page 279.
Qvigstad and Wiklund,
Bibliographie der Lappischen Litteratur, page 15.
Johann Scheffer, 1621-1679, German antiquarian, a native of Strassburg, was a descendant of Peter Schoeffer of Gernsheim, the partner of
Johann Fust.
[247]
110
Histoire ancienne du gouvernement de Cherson. par Potocki.
3. v.
4
to.
1815 Catalogue, page 11. no. 151, as above.
POTOCKI,
Jan, comte.
Histoire ancienne du Gouvernement de Chèrson, pour servir de suite à l’histoire Primitive des peuples de la Russie. Par le
Comte Jean Potocki . . .
St Pétersbourg: Imprimé à
l’Academie Imperiale des Sciences,
1804.--
Histoire Ancienne du Gouvernement de Podolie . . . Avec Permission de la censure.
ib.
de l’Imprimerie de
F. Dreschler,
1805.--
Histoire ancienne du Gouvernement de Wolhynie . . . Avec permission de la Censure.
ib.
de
l’Imprimerie de l’Academie,
1805.
Together 3 vol. 4to.
First Editions. Part I, 30 leaves; the advertisement of a projected translation into
German is pasted down on the back of the title; Part II, 26 leaves; Part III, 12 leaves; the last two leaves with the errata for
parts I and II.
Quérard VII, page 296.
Bibliothèque Imperiale de St. Petersbourg, 1142, 1145, 1146.
Presentation copy from the author, sent through Levett Harris, the United States Consul at St. Petersburg, on August 10, 1806,
see no. 3.
[248]
111
Memoires secrets sur la Russie.
2. v.
8
vo.
Amsterdam.
1800.
1815 Catalogue, page 13. no. 117, as above.
[MASSON,
Charles François Philibert.]
Mémoires secrets sur la Russie, et particulièrement sur la fin du règne de Catherine II et le commencement de celui de Paul
I. Formant un tableau des moeurs de St. Pétersbourg à la fin du XVIII
e siècle . . . Tome Premier [-Second].
Amsterdam: An
VIII. [1800.]
DK171 .M41
First Edition, first issue. 8vo. A later issue in the same year has
Charles Pougens’ Paris imprint.
Barbier III, col. 253.
Quérard V, page 609.
Jefferson’s copy was bound in calf, gilt, by John March, in June 1807, price $2.00.
The work was issued anonymously. It was introduced to Jefferson by Reibelt, who, writing from New Orleans in February, 1807
(the letter endorsed by Jefferson
rec
d Feb. 23. 07
), revealed the authorship: “. . . Les Memoirs Secretes de la Russie sont l’ouvrage le plus interessant, qui n’a jamais paru sur ce pays. L’auteur en est
Masson--Professeur d’Alexandre sous les ordres de mon ami Laharpe.--Vous lui permetterez par ce Motif d’habiter votre Bibliotheque
. . .”
This work usually has a place in Jefferson’s recommended reading lists.
Charles François Philibert Masson, 1762-1807, French soldier and author, held various military and other appointments in Russia until 1797 when he was exiled
from that country and returned to France.
