[GAUTIER (Jean-Jacques)]. Essay on Rural Customs. London, n. - Lot 130

[GAUTIER (Jean-Jacques)]. Essay on Rural Customs. London, n.p. [Alençon, Malassis the Younger], 1787. In-12, paperback. A rare first edition of this depiction of rural life in Normandy on the eve of the French Revolution, rich in picturesque details. (Frère, vol. II, p. 13; Oursel, *Nouvelle biographie normande*, vol. I, p. 393.) Some portraits—the context of which we lack—are not without a touch of mischief, such as that of this priest who is a regular in the countryside: Invite the regular at the church of … to dinner; let him know the day; do not fear that he will fail to come; even the most dreadful weather, which prevents the country folk from attending Mass, will not stop him from coming. [...] You may be away; he will stay at your house for eight days, with your maid, and will not be bored. This curious essay is the first book by Father Gautier, parish priest of La Lande-de-Goult (Orne), born in Exmes in 1748 and died in Alençon in 1829. Sections M, N, and O are slightly discolored; there is a small tear in the spine.

Estimate:£417.33

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