Pensées. Sur la religion et sur quelques autres sujets, qui ont esté trouvées aprés sa mort parmy ses papiers.

PASCAL, Blaise.

Published by Paris: Guillaume Desprez, 1670

About this Item

Second edition, published in March 1670 with the text corrected from the first edition of January 1670; superficially similar to the first edition, the second edition can be distinguished by the erratic pagination 1-312, 307-330, 313-334; in the first edition, the pagination is continuous through to p. 365. This is the first issue of the second edition, without edition statement - the words "Seconde Edition" were subsequently added to the title page. A pirated edition was also published, but can be distinguished by a variant woodcut on the title page rather than Desprez's woodcut monogram. Pascal's classic is among the greatest of all theological works and a classic of French literature, defending faith in the face of an inevitable death in a vast unknowable universe. Still widely read today even if the specific religious disputes of the time are long gone, the book resonates with each generation as an unreserved assertion of a pessimistic worldview, but so too the possibility of joy despite this. It includes the most famous and memorable of the theological arguments for faith, "Pascal's Wager" - that as the individual has little to lose from believing in God if God does not exist, but gains eternal salvation if God does exist, the logical choice is to believe in God, a thesis widely rebutted and often derided but which remains a core argument in theological debate. Intended as a work of Christian apologetics which would amount to a comprehensive system, Pascal worked on the project for many years, but died long before the book neared a conclusion, leaving a mass of ideas and jottings at his death. His friends gathered and edited the papers for publication, imposing an order and structure to the writings, and published the book under their given title "Pensées". The order they imposed has been disputed by later editors for three centuries, but the original structure has remained a major influence on all future editions. With the bookplate of Robert J. Hayhurst, Lancashire chemist and bibliophile, with his pencilled notes on the front free endpaper erroneously placing it as the first edition, alongside two contemporary ownership signatures to title page, one crossed out, and near-contemporary signatures to front free and rear endpaper. Printing and the Mind of Man 152; Tchemerzine, V, p. 71. Duodecimo (133 x 75 mm). Contemporary red morocco, spine lettered and tooled in gilt, gilt french fillets and cornerpieces to covers, gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, gilt edges. With title page and contents leaves and the complete text of the Pensees itself, but without the 47 leaves of preface, approbations, advertisement, and the index at rear. Chip to head of spine, tiny markings to covers, stain to front free endpaper, small wormhole to initial leaves, a few blemishes to contents, a few page corners slightly creased, closely cropped at times mildly encroaching on margin notes, scratch to p. 233. An attractive copy. Seller Inventory # 124676

Bibliographic Details

Title: Pensées. Sur la religion et sur quelques ...

Publisher: Paris: Guillaume Desprez, 1670