DIDEROT - D'ALEMBERT. Encyclopedie, ou Dictionnaire... Lot n° 565

DIDEROT, Denis - ALEMBERT, Jean le Rond d'. Encyclopedie, ou Dictionnaire raisonné des Sciences, des Arts et des Métiers Par une société de Gens de Lettres.  1751 – 1780 35 volumes in folio, Binding in full period porphyry calfskin, spine with six nerves adorned with fleurons, Three volumes of the supplements, text and plate are in marbled calfskin and the two volumes with the 'Tables' are in 'pastiche' binding. Content:  - 17 volumes of text and 11 volumes of plates Paris, Le Breton, Briasson, David, Durand; Neuchâtel, Faulche. [From 1751 to 1772]; - 4 volumes of Text Supplement, 1 volume of Plates Supplement Rey, Amsterdam, and Panckoucke, Stoupe and Brunet, Paris. [1776-1777] - 2 volumes of plates by Abbé Mouchon, «Tables analytiques et raisonnée des matières contenues dans les 33 volumes in folio du dictionnaire des arts et des sciences» Paris chez Pankoucke, Amsterdam chez Marc Michel Rey, [1780] Bindings with traces of wear, defects and lacking. Innerly some occasional brownings and little tears. Overall a nice complete set of this monumental work.  Complete Illustrated edition of 3129 plates including plates of the hermaphrodites in volume XII, complete of its folding tables in the text, as well as the large summary table of the Index folded several times. Complete work with all the plates, the Frontispiece, the Supplements and the 'Tables'. First Edition. The Encyclopedie is the most important work published in the XVIIIth century, one of the books founding the history of ideas in the western world. PMM, 200: «A monument in the history of European thought; the acme of the age of reason; a prime motive force in undermining the ancien régime and in heralding the French Revolution; a permanent source for all aspects of eighteenth-century civilization [...] Each volume as it appeared caused a sensation throughout Europe. The court, the church, the judiciary were outraged; the number of subscribers, originally one thousand, rose to four thousand. In 1759, the seven volumes so far published were banned by the French Attorney-General and condemned by the Pope [...] Le Breton, however, carried on clandestinely and in 1765 completed the tenth volume, the last according to the prospectus. But a rising young publisher, Charles-Joseph Panckoucke, continued the work until 1780. By that time, at least seven pirated editions had been published in Geneva, Berne, Lausanne, Yverdum, Lucca and Leghorn». Adams, Bibliographie Diderot, G1; Brunet, 31851; Dibner, 85; DSB IV, 86-87; Grolier/Horblit, 25b; Norman, 637.