ROBINET'S "DICTIONNAIRE UNIVERSEL"

ROBINET, JEAN-BAPTISTE-RENÉ (edt.).

Dictionnaire Universel des Sciences Morale, Économique, Politique et Diplomatique;. ou Bibliothèque de l'homme d'état et du Citoyen. 30 vols.

London, chez les Libraires associés, 1777 - 1783 [Presumably printed in Liège by Clément Plomteux in association with Elmsly in London, van Harrevelt in Amsterdam, Rosset in Lyon and Panckoucke in Paris]. 4to. Uniformly bound in 30 contemporary half calf binding with leather title-label with gilt lettering to spines. Wear to extremities and small paper-label paper on to top of spines. First few leaves in most volumes with light soiling, otherwise internally very fine and clean. Complet.

First edition of Robinet monumental encyclopedia, still regarded as being the first main encyclopedia on European social sciences. Robinet, in collaboration with Charles-Joseph Panckoucke were exponents of Diderot's Encyclopédie, and published a supplement to it in four volumes (1776-1777), the present work published as a direct extension to the Encyclopédie.

Robinet is one of the precursors in the history of evolutionary thought who contributed to the process which later crystallized in the work of Charles Darwin.

Order-nr.: 54047