Discover a remarkable artifact of 18th-century print culture: a 1767 edition of Lettres sur le Dannemarc (Letters on Denmark), written by Urbain Roger. Published during the height of the Enlightenment, this volume offers a fascinating political and social critique of contemporary Danish governance and civil society.
What makes this specific copy an extraordinary survivor is its preservation in its original 18th-century papier dominoté (domino paper) wrapper. Used as temporary "brochure" covers by booksellers before a customer commissioned luxury leather, these fragile, block-printed geometric papers are rarely found intact today.
The original woodblock-printed papier dominoté wrappers showing a repeating red matrix pattern on a lined background. The wrapper exhibits heavy wear consistent with its age, including paper loss at the corners, spine, and margins. The paper shows extensive center water staining and damp staining throughout, giving the volume a beautifully weathered, antiquarian aesthetic. The text remains fully legible. The book measures 6" x 8.5" and 240 pages.
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Title: Lettres sur le Dannemarc (Tome Premier / Volume One)
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Author: Urbain Roger (frequently attributed)
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Imprint: A Geneve, Chez Claude Philibert, MDCCLXVII (1767)
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Censorship & Trade History: Printed in French-speaking Geneva to navigate the strict royal censorship laws of pre-Revolutionary France, this book was subsequently imported for the French market.
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Bookseller Stamp: The lower edge of the wrapper retains the faint but definitive printed imprint of the historic French regional distributors, Andorre & Noël, grounding its provenance in the late 18th-century French literary trade network.
- Printer's Device: The title page features Claude Philibert’s elegant woodcut cartouche topped with the Latin motto "EX RECTO DECUS" ("Honor from rectitude").
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