Les Saisons Saint-Lambert 1823 French Poetry Fine Calf Binding Illustrated
 
Title & Bibliographic Details
Title: Les Saisons (The Seasons)
Author: Charles-François de Saint-Lambert
Edition Statement: Nouvelle Édition, ornée d'une gravure
(“New Edition, decorated with an engraving”)
Publisher: Janet et Cotelle, Libraires
Publication Place: Paris
Date: 1823 (MDCCCXXIII)
Publisher’s Address: Rue Neuve-des-Petits-Champs, No. 17
Illustrations: Engraved frontispiece by A. Desenne with original tissue guard present
 
The frontispiece caption reads:
“Mais sa pudeur encor n'étoit pas sans alarmes; Et pour la rassurer, Damon part à regret.”
Approximate English translation:
“Yet her modesty was still troubled by fears; And to reassure her, Damon departed reluctantly.”
The volume also bears the epigraph:
“Puissent mes chants être agréables à l'homme vertueux et champêtre, et lui rappeler quelquefois ses devoirs et ses plaisirs!”
Translation:
“May my songs please the virtuous and pastoral man, and sometimes remind him of his duties and pleasures.”
 
Historical & Bibliographic Context
Les Saisons (The Seasons) is the best-known poetic work of Charles-François de Saint-Lambert, first published during the eighteenth century and heavily influenced by classical pastoral poetry and Enlightenment philosophy.
The poem celebrates the natural world, rural virtue, morality, agriculture, and the changing seasons, following in the literary tradition of Virgil’s Georgics and anticipating aspects of early Romantic nature writing.
This attractive 1823 Paris edition was issued during the Bourbon Restoration period and reflects the continued popularity of Enlightenment-era French poetry in the nineteenth century.
The extensive prefatory “Notice sur Saint-Lambert” (“Notice on Saint-Lambert”) provides a detailed biographical and literary assessment of the author, discussing his philosophical reputation, literary criticism, relationship with Voltaire, and reception within French intellectual society.
Notable translated passages include commentary on the reception of Les Saisons:
“The Seasons were well enough received by the public to irritate the critics.”
and the satirical line:
“How can one read a cold Saint-Lambert without shivering, who made one long winter out of four seasons?”
The biographical notice concludes with an account of Saint-Lambert’s death in 1803 at the age of 85.
 
About the Author
Charles-François de Saint-Lambert (1717–1803) was a French poet, philosopher, military officer, and member of the Académie Française, best known for Les Saisons and his association with Enlightenment literary circles including Voltaire and Madame du Châtelet.
 
Binding & Exterior Description
Elegantly bound in full contemporary calf leather.
The boards feature gilt decorative borders, while the spine is richly panelled in gilt with gilt tooling and gilt title and author lettering over a red spine label.
The page edges are marbled.
The binding remains intact, robust, and highly attractive for its age, with light expected wear including:
light rubbing to edges and corners 
rubbing to spine surfaces 
very light bumping to corners 
small splits at the head and tail of the spine 
a few light marks 
Overall, this is a handsome and well-preserved early nineteenth-century French binding with strong shelf appeal.
 
Interior Condition
Marbled pastedowns and free endpapers.
The pages are bright for their age with occasional foxing, somewhat heavier in places toward the front and rear. The title page shows darker tanning.
There is a small pen inscription to the title page but no significant further writing internally.
The pages are overall notably clean and well preserved, with only occasional small marks not affecting readability.
The pages are predominantly uncreased.
A handful of very small edge tears and a couple of tiny inner margin tears are present, none affecting text.
The engraved frontispiece and tissue guard remain present.
All pages are secure and tightly bound.
Collation complete:
ix + 460 pages 
 
Physical Details
Dimensions: Approximately 21 cm x 13.4 cm x 3.4 cm
Weight: Approximately 642 g
 
Rarity & Collector Notes
This edition is best described as uncommon in such an attractive contemporary full calf binding.
Early nineteenth-century French literary editions survive regularly in institutional holdings, though increasingly less often in appealing unsophisticated period bindings retaining strong decorative character.
This copy is especially desirable for:
its elegant contemporary calf binding 
marbled edges and endpapers 
engraved frontispiece with tissue guard 
strong preservation 
important Enlightenment literary associations 
substantial biographical preface