155. TRONCHIN (Jean-Robert). Letters written from the countr - Lot 155

155. TRONCHIN (Jean-Robert). Letters written from the countryside. S.l.n.d. (Geneva, 1763). In-12, 172 p., fawn half-basin with corners, spine ribbed (contemporary binding). An unusual copy of Lettres écrites de la campagne by Jean-Robert Tronchin (1710-1793), the Geneva public prosecutor who played a role in the condemnation of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's works, Du contrat social and Emile, in 1762. Lettres écrites de la campagne was an official response to the demands of Geneva's bourgeoisie, who challenged the government's authoritarianism. In particular, Tronchin justified his condemnation of Rousseau on the grounds that his theories undermined the social and religious order. This text triggered Rousseau's famous reply, Lettres écrites de la montagne (1764), in which the philosopher denounced the collusion between political and religious power in Geneva. Binding slightly rubbed, wetness on several leaves, other defects minor.