"CREDITORS HAVE BETTER MEMORIES THAN DEBTORS": RARE BILINGUAL EDITION OF THE WAY TO WEALTH, 1795, "THE MOST POPULAR OF ALL FRANKLIN'S WRITINGS"

FRANKLIN, Benj[amin]. The Way to Wealth, Or Poor Richard Improved. Paris: Printed for Ant. Aug. Renouard (Dijon: P. Causse), 1795. Small octavo, recent half brown calf over contemporary tan paper boards, marbled endpapers. $7500.

Rare Paris printing of one of Franklin's most famous works, the first edition in English of Franklin's Way to Wealth to be published in France, featuring a frontispiece portrait of Franklin engraved by Tardieu after Duplessis.

In the 1758 edition of Poor Richard's Almanack, Franklin included a preface consisting of "a long speech to a market-day audience by a character named Father Abraham. The speech blended maxims and aphorisms culled from previous almanacs into a promise that men who worked hard, were prudent and frugal, would become rich. The people listened attentively, but once Father Abraham had finished they 'immediately practiced the contrary, just as if it had been a common sermon,' Poor Richard remarked ruefully; 'for the vendue opened, and they began to buy extravagantly, notwithstanding all his cautions, and their own fear of taxes.' Under the title 'The Way to Wealth' the speech would become the most popular of all Franklin's writings" (Hawke, 162-3). This bilingual Paris edition, with the English-language "Way to Wealth" accompanied by several other Franklin works in both French and English, was "the prettiest yet printed" (Ford 135). Following the first separate publication in 1760, this later English and French edition was issued in a very limited number, purportedly with only a handful of copies on large paper (Brunet II:1383); the present copy is from the still very scarce regular-paper issue. Includes La science du Bonhomme Richard, Lettres du Franklin, Dialogue entre la goutte et Franklin, Quelques mots sur l'Amerique, and Observations sur les sauvages du nord de l'Amerique (the last separately paginated, and not found in all copies). With half title; bound without publisher's catalogue at rear. Sabin 25596. ESTC T58634.

Title page with small chip to lower edge, endpapers with penciled annotations, contents with scattered spots of minor staining, overall very clean; light wear to original boards, leather clean and fresh. A handsome copy.