Lot 08043

MARANA Giovanni Paolo, “Lespion dans les cours des princes chrétiens”, A Cologne, Erasme Kinkius, 1705. 12mo, pp. [42], 382 + [20], 382. First printed in Paris 1684. Complete in two Volumes. Frontispiece on Vol. 1. Title pages printed in red & black. Worm-holes to few sheets of Vol.1. Dampstaining throughout. Contemporary full calf with external rubbing along extremities and joints.  The work of Giovanni Paolo Marana, an Italian journalist who resided in France for an extended period, is noted as pioneering the use of the literary device known as the foreign observer, a technique later refined by Montesquieu and Goldsmith. In Maranas narrative, a foreign observer, dispatched from his homeland, provides insights into world and European history. The distinct perspective of this observer, hailing from Turkey and thus unfamiliar with European customs, adds further depth to his observations.