Maggs Bros Ltd. Rare Books, Manuscripts, Autographs and first editions.

[2], 73, [3]p., last leaf with privilege, Paris: M. David, 1708Bound with Avis touchant l'entretien d'un philosophe chrétien avec un philsophe choinois pour servir de réponse à la critique de cet entretien, inserée dans les Mémoires de Trévoux du mois de juillet 1708. [2], 36p., Paris: M.-E. David (de l'imprimerie de P. Prault), 17302 works in 1 volume 8vo (165 x 90mm.) contemporary sprinkled calf, gilt and panelled spine.

First edition. Malebranche (1638-1715), whose style as a writer is greatly admired ('il n'y a pas en français du style comparable à celui de M.') was a major French philosopher, whose thought is very much in the Cartesian mold. He was also a distinguished theologian, and it as both philosopher and theologian that in this little work, he discusses abstracts idea of goodness and wisdom as well Christian doctrine. The work (which caused a stir immediately - The which is also by Malebranche himself, was first published in 1708 as a reply to a critical article ) discusses in the form of a dialogue between a Chinese and a Christian, whether God is purely abstract or not. The Christian has by far the longer utterances, and the ideas expressed by the Chinese speaker are from information which Malebranche got from Artus de Lionne (Rome 1655- Paris 1713 ) a French missionary in Siam and China, who was a bitter opponent of the Jesuit accommodationist attitudes towards Chinese rites.The Critique, which had appeared in the Jesuit periodical the Journal de Trévoux is quoted in extenso and is printed in Italic, whereas the refutation is printed in Roman type. On p. 40 there is an explanation of the suppression of two leaves on the atheism of the Chinese which were in the original edition of 1708. This accounts for the disparity in pagination between the two editions.The text has been edited by A. Robinet (Pars, 1958).D. Mungello 'Malebranche and Chinese philosophy' in Journal of the History of Ideas 41 (1980) pp. 551-578. Not in BL, Bodleian or CUL. The only copy in the UK of the main text is that at SOAS. The book is actually quite uncommon, as is the 1730 reprint of the Avis.

MALEBRANCHE, Nicolas Stock Code: CO15795