The Histories of Passed Times

PERRAULT, Charles. The Histories of Passed Times, or the Tales of Mother Goose. With Morals. A new Edition, to which are added two Novels viz. The Discreet Princess, and the Widow and her two Daughters. Adorned with fine Cuts. Vol. I. London: B. Le Francq, 1785. 12mo, [iv] 189pp. Full calf with spine stamped in gilt; all edges marbled. Marbled endpapers; 8 full-page steel engravings. Binding worn and lightly sprung; front hinge starting; faint, intermittent foxing, else a surprisingly solid, generally clean copy. Scarce.

Volume one of this 1785 bilingual edition, published in London, of the fairy tales of Charles Perrault, having the text in English on the rectos and the French on the verso of each leaf (the French title page appears opposite the one in English).  This first volume contains 7 of Perrault’s 8 fairy tales – only “Hop O’ My Thumb” is not in this volume (it must have appeared in Volume II with the two novels mentioned in the sub-titles above, which were actually written by his niece, Marie-Jeanne L’Heritier, not Perrault himself). A beautiful, bilingual edition of Perrault’s classic fairy tales, published within the century of their first appearance in 1697. Included are five of the most beloved fairy tales of all time: Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Puss in Boots, Sleeping Beauty, and Bluebeard. Each tale is accompanied by a stunning steel engraving and features one or two morals to instruct children as to the lessons that they should take from these tales.