Item 16 presents us with a theory of the origin of letters, numbers, and much more: Juicio sobre la antiguedad de las lettres y de otras de la vida civil. Cadogan explains that it provides the “origins of letters, and also arithmetic, music, geometry, astronomy, textiles, money, bread and wine, sign language, even serpent imagery...” This obviously thorough treatise by Pedro de Castro provided a critique of a book by Johann Georg Wachter, who traced letters and numbers to ancient Egyptians. Castro considered the roles of many other ancient civilizations too. This book was published in 1800. $986.
Women were not always treated with the utmost respect, as they are, of course, treated today. Item 43 is L'Imperfection des Femmes... the imperfection of women, published in 1730. Cadogan describes this as a “collection of quotations that are mysogynistic or critical of women.” A prefatory letter describes woman as (translated from the French) “a monster of nature, an evil necessity, a chimera of many forms, a shameful pleasure.” In other words, women are a lot like men. No wonder M. Romance de Mesmon saved his ode for his dog. The imprint on the pamphlet states that it comes from “Household, assigns of John Married-Too-Young, at the Sign of the Good Woman Without a Head.” The headless “good” woman is depicted. Whatever the message of this, one can be confident it was not meant to be complimentary of women. This author must have had some serious problems with the opposite sex. $544.
Leo Cadogan Rare Books may be reached at +44 (0)20 7607 3190 or leo@leocadogan.com. The website is found at www.leocadogan.com.
