LOMONOSOV, Mikhail. Histoire De La Russie, Depuis l’origine de la nation Russe, jusqu’à la mort du Grand-Duc Jaroslaws Premier … Traduit de l’Allemand, par M. E***. Augmentée de deux cartes géographiques. Seconde édition. Paris, Desventes de la Douée, 1774.
8vo. Early 19th-century half-calf over marbled boards, spine lettered and ornamented in gilt; pp. xxxii, 253, with two folding engraved maps; light wear to extremities, boards a little darkened; apart from a little toning internally, a very good copy; 20th-century gift inscription to front fly-leaf, ownership inscription to following blank, engraved armorial bookplate of John Symmons (1745-1835).
Second edition in French, very rare. The first 'modern' history of Russia, written to much acclaim by the father of Russian science, writer an influential polymath.
Provenance: John Symmons was well-connected to learned and literary circles of his time, 'a cultivated man with a great passion for science, for the arts and for books. The breadth of his interests (and patronage) can be seen in the learned societies of which he was a member. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society, a founder member of the Royal Institution and of the Linnean Society, and a member of numerous other societies including the Horticultural Society, the Literary Society and the Society of Antiquaries … His library comprised upwards of 30,000 volumes, including many rare and early printed books. He married four times, the last occasion being in 1828 at the age of 83. Towards the end of his life, Symmons went bankrupt, perhaps in part because of the generosity for which he was known, including to his younger brother Charles. In order to avoid imprisonment, John fled the country, and his book and art collections were auctioned in 1828. John resided in the Low Countries or northern France until his death in 1831' (University of Leeds Library, online).
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