79/3177 [Russia]. Potocki, J. Histoire primitive des peuples de la Russie avec une exposition complète de toutes les notions, locales, nationales et traditionelles, nécessaires à l'intelligence du quatrième livre d'Hérodote. St. Petersburg, Académie Impériale des Sciences (for the author), 1802, 230p., 2 (of 3) (fold.) letterpress tables, contemp. gilt calf, spine richly gilt w. red and green mor. letterpiece, 4to.

- Lacks one table; occas. trifle foxed; final blank dam.; owner's entry on title-p. Binding partly discoloured (mainly backcover).

= Extremely rare first and only edition of Potocki's ancient history of Russia containing the results of 20 years of travel and research. Negative reviews mainly in German specialist journals are said to have prompted Potocki to destroy those copies of the already very limited edition (±100) which he could track down. It is unclear how many copies are actually still in existence. Cat (...) des Russica P1141; Brunet IV, p.846 ("(...) il passe pour n'avoir été tiré qu'à cent exemplaires").

Provenance: the library of MAXIMILIAN DE BEAUHARNAIS (1817-1852, grandson of Josephine Bonaparte and son-in-law of czar Nicolas I of Russia), with his armorial bookplate on upper pastedown. SEE ILLUSTRATION PLATE CXXXVII