LA ROCHEFOUCAULD François de Réflexions ou Sentences et Maximes Morales.

Tchemerzine-Scheler, IV, 35; Rochebilière, 447; Diesbach-Soultrait, Jean Bonna Collection, 17th century, 153 (first state).

First edition authorized by the author.

Second state with the cancels indicated by the bibliographers. Today we know of less than ten copies of the first state, none of which are in the National Library of France.

Printed at 23 lines per page, the fleuron at the beginning of the text with an angel’s head is upside down. La Rochefoucauld carefully monitored the printing of this edition and corrected and added maxims using cancels. The other editions published in 1665, with 22 lines per page, are counterfeits.

This edition contains 318 maxims (numbered 316, the number 302 is repeated, and another without numbering) and it is decorated with a frontispiece engraved by Stéphane Picart, attributed to Nicolas Poussin.

Copies preserved in their contemporary binding are rare.