TRAITÉ DES HERMAPHRODITS Jacques Duval | Isidore Liseux, Paris, 1880 Limited Edition

No. 252/400 — Publisher's Paraph — Original Half-Leather Binding

ABOUT THIS COPY

This is a rare 1880 limited edition reprint of Jacques Duval's Traité des Hermaphrodits

(Treatise on Hermaphrodites), originally published in Rouen in 1612. This edition was

published in Paris by Isidore Liseux, the foremost 19th-century publisher of rare, suppressed,

and esoteric texts.

This copy is strictly limited to 400 copies, of which this is No. 252. The limitation page bears

the publisher's (Isidore Liseux's) handwritten paraph/initial to authenticate the limitation.

The book is bound in the publisher's original half-leather binding (dark red/burgundy leather

spine and corners over cream laid paper boards). It is entirely in the original French.

This copy was acquired from an East Coast private collection, purchased at auction.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Jacques Duval (1555–1615) was a French physician whose 1612 treatise Des hermaphrodits,

accouchemens des femmes, et traitement qui est requis pour les relever en santé is considered a

foundational text in the history of medicine, sexology, and gender studies. The book was

highly controversial upon publication; it was condemned and seized by the Parliament of

Rouen in 1612 for its explicit anatomical descriptions and progressive medical views.

Isidore Liseux's 1880 edition brought this suppressed medical classic back into print for

scholars and collectors, preserving the original 17th-century French text in a beautiful,

limited typographic production.

PHYSICAL CONDITION

•

Binding: Original publisher's half-leather. Dark red/burgundy leather spine and partial

boards, with cream/ivory laid paper covering the rest. The binding is intact and holding

•

•

•

•

•

well.

Spine: Smooth leather spine (as issued). No titling on spine. Leather is in good

condition, not crumbling.

Boards: Cream laid paper boards show some soiling, handling marks, and edge wear.

Corners are bumped but solid.

Pages: Text block is complete. Please note: The pages show significant age toning,

browning, and foxing throughout, which is typical for this type of 19th-century laid

paper. Some pages show slight waviness from past humidity. The text remains fully

legible. Bottom edges of some outer leaves show minor fraying.

Limitation Page: Present, stating this is copy No. 252 of 400, with publisher's

handwritten paraph.

Overall grade: Good. An honest, complete copy in its original binding, with notable

foxing/toning to the text block.