Books Printed Before 1700 from Helen R. Kahn

Item 26 is the major work of a 16^th century French theologian, a fairly orthodox man whose mild deviations toward skepticism would lead some in the Church to label him an atheist. The first two books written by Pierre Charron were rather standard orthodoxy, but he became friendly with Montaigne, the great French philosopher and skeptic, and it influenced his thought in this, his third book: La Sagesse de Charron. He questioned whether man could know the truth of Christianity, it being something we could figure out through reasoning. In those days, even that level of skepticism toward the undeniable truth of religion was too far in the eyes of some. It did not cause Charron any major problems when this book was released in 1601, and he died two years later, but it left him with both adherents and opponents within the Church, where previously he had only the former. Offered is a later edition from 1672. As an aside, Charron was said to be one of 25 children of a bookseller, which implies that you could make more money selling books in the 16^th century than you can today. $500.

Item 56 is an epic even by epic poem standards, John Milton's Paradise Lost. It is a tale of God and Satan, creation, the fall of man, and all of those events which flow from “In the beginning.” It is regarded as one of the great masterpieces of English literature. Offered is a copy of the 1692 fifth edition (it was first published in 1667), bound with editions of Paradise Regain'd and Samson Agonistes. $4,500.

Helen R. Kahn and Associates may be reached at 514-844-5344 or hrk@hrkahnbooks.com. The website is www.hrkahnbooks.com.