11. BALZAC (Honoré de). Intellectual history of Louis Lamber - Lot 11

11. BALZAC (Honoré de). Intellectual history of Louis Lambert. Paris, C. Gosselin, 1833. In-12, 264 p., glazed Empire green morocco, ornate ribbed spine, ornate and gilt framing on covers, romantic iron pushed in cold on covers, gilt fillet on edges, inner gilt roulette, gilt edges. First separate and much enlarged edition of this text, which appeared the previous year in the Nouveaux Contes philosophiques. In this initiatory fiction, Balzac illustrates the idea that thinking can kill the man who thinks, while presenting a specific way of doing philosophy. It's hardly surprising, then, that readers in 1832 took notice of the first version of the text and urged Balzac to explore it further. In this new version, Balzac develops the character of Louis Lambert as a philosopher whose thought becomes a destructive force, symbolizing the never-ending quest for truth and authenticity. Slight rubbing to binding, but numerous brown spots. (Talvart & Place, I, 152-27; Lovenjoul, 191).