LA CHAPELLE, Jean-Baptiste de. Le Ventriloque ou l'Engastrim - Lot 365

LA CHAPELLE, Jean-Baptiste de. Le Ventriloque ou l'Engastrimythe. Published in London and Paris by De l'Etanville and Veuve Duchesne in 1772. 2 volumes, format In douze / In-12. Tan Basane. Smooth spines adorned with gilded brackets and fleurons. Red edges XXIV+287; (4)+238 pages. Joints cracked, headbands loose. Rare first edition of this study by Abbé Jean-Baptiste Vieillot (1710-1791), known as Jean-Baptiste de La Chapelle, who contributed to the mathematical parts of the Encyclopédie. Both volumes deal with ventriloquism, taking as their subject a grocer from Saint-Germain-en-Laye; the author attempts to rationalize this aptitude and explain it physiologically. Overall in good condition, interiors clear.