Connoissance des beautez et des défauts, de la poesie & de l'eloquence dans la langue française : à l'usage des jeunes gens, & surtout des etrangers, avec des exemples par ordre alphabétique

By David Durand, according to Theodore Besterman in "Note on the autorship of the Connaissance des beautés," in Studies on Voltaire and the eighteenth century, v. 4 (1957), and Nicholas Cronk in "Appendice II: La Connaissance des beautés de Durand," in Voltaire. Writings of 1750-1752 (Voltaire. Works, 1968-, v. 32B), 2007, pages 355-359. See Voltaire's letter to Mme. Denis, Mar. 31, 1754 (in Besterman's edition of Voltaire's correspondence, D5755), ascribing the work to Durand

Formerly frequently attributed to Voltaire. BN/BnF notes that the attribution was formally disavowed by him; that the work was never included in an edition of his works published in his lifetime, but was admitted by the editors of the Kehl edition only as the work of one of his pupils under his supervision; and that Bengesco concluded categorically that the attribution to Voltaire is spurious. See BN, v. 214, col. 1785, no. 5441; see also discussion in Bengesco (cited below), who finds no evidence for another proposed attribution, to Charles du Molard

Previously published: Connaissance des bautez et des défauts, de la poësie et de l'éloquence dans la langue française. A Londres [that is, Rouen] : Aux dépens de la Société [that is, publisher not identified], MDCCXLIX [1749]. See Bengesco; BN, col. 1785, no. 5441; ESTC T161255

Actual place of publication from Bengesco and BN

Signatures: pi1 A-P⁸ Q⁶

Woodcut title page vignette; woodcut headpiece and tailpieces; ornamental initial