Mineral waters of Béarn BORDEU (Théophile de) Lettres... Lot 257

Mineral waters of Béarn BORDEU (Théophile de) Lettres contenant des Essais sur l'Histoire des Eaux-Minérales du Béarn, & de quelques-unes des Provinces Voisines, sur leur nature, différence, propriété adressées à Mme de Sorberio à Pau en Béarn. Amsterdam, Poppé Frères, 1748. In-12: 218pp. 1f. Minor scattered spotting at beginning of volume. Contemporary marbled fawn calf, smooth ornate spine, headband frayed, gilt fillet on edges, corners rubbed, red edges. Rare. Second edition. First published in 1746 (Amsterdam, Poppé Frères; Montpellier, Gontier). "Written in eight days, this little book unfolds for the first time a panoramic picture of the main springs in the Pyrenees. At the age of 24, Bordeu had just been turned away from Pau by the city's doctors. Returning to Montpellier, he worked hard at his profession and, wanting to take revenge for the affront inflicted by his Béarn colleagues, he wanted to launch a popular work on Pyrenean springs. So he wrote a series of "Letters", which he intended to address to a great lady, a friend of science and enlightenment, Madame Sorbério. When she agreed, he entered history at the same time" (Labarère 192).