This distinguished Berlin printing from 1788 presents the posthumous works of Frederick II of Prussia, one of the most intellectually influential monarchs of the eighteenth century. Issued in sixteen volumes, the set gathers the full range of Frederick’s writings, from political theory and historical reflection to poetry, personal essays, and his celebrated correspondence with Voltaire.
Frederick the Great was not only a military strategist and reforming ruler. He was also a prolific writer whose literary and philosophical output shaped European political discourse during and after his reign. These posthumous works, published only two years after his death, were intended to preserve that intellectual legacy in its most authoritative form.
Among the volumes are his personal letters, state papers, poetic experiments, and critical dialogues. The collection concludes with the supplement Le Palladion, Poème grave, offering a final glimpse into the king’s literary voice.
Each volume is preserved in its original late eighteenth-century format: blue paper boards, leather spines, and printed paper labels. The red-sprinkled edges and laid paper exemplify the refined but functional Prussian bookmaking of the era.
The set remains uniform and complete. The bindings show age-appropriate rubbing at the spine ends and corners, along with minor chips, but the structures are sound and the text blocks firm.
Inserted into the first volume is a small handwritten note reading: Je suis contente de Marie. 22 May. Written in a fine late eighteenth-century French hand on laid paper, it hints at a contemporary owner within the Francophone cultural circles that surrounded Frederick’s court. This small fragment of personal correspondence adds a human element to the books, connecting them to the world in which they were first read.
The volumes are clean, crisp, and beautifully printed, with strong impressions on laid paper throughout. Internal condition is excellent for a set of this scale and age. Minor wear to bindings but no structural instability. A complete and coherent survival of an ambitious Berlin edition.
These posthumous works stand as one of the most important literary monuments dedicated to an Enlightenment ruler. They preserve the intellectual personality of Frederick the Great: his political ideals, his correspondence with European thinkers, and the literary pursuits that shaped his public image. Complete sets in original bindings are increasingly uncommon and highly sought after by collectors of Enlightenment history, royal correspondence, and Prussian studies.
A refined and historically resonant addition to any collection of eighteenth-century literature or European intellectual history.
This distinguished Berlin printing from 1788 presents the posthumous works of Frederick II of Prussia, one of the most intellectually influential monarchs of the eighteenth century. Issued in sixteen volumes, the set gathers the full range of Frederick’s writings, from political theory and historical reflection to poetry, personal essays, and his celebrated correspondence with Voltaire.
Frederick the Great was not only a military strategist and reforming ruler. He was also a prolific writer whose literary and philosophical output shaped European political discourse during and after his reign. These posthumous works, published only two years after his death, were intended to preserve that intellectual legacy in its most authoritative form.
Among the volumes are his personal letters, state papers, poetic experiments, and critical dialogues. The collection concludes with the supplement Le Palladion, Poème grave, offering a final glimpse into the king’s literary voice.
Each volume is preserved in its original late eighteenth-century format: blue paper boards, leather spines, and printed paper labels. The red-sprinkled edges and laid paper exemplify the refined but functional Prussian bookmaking of the era.
The set remains uniform and complete. The bindings show age-appropriate rubbing at the spine ends and corners, along with minor chips, but the structures are sound and the text blocks firm.
Inserted into the first volume is a small handwritten note reading: Je suis contente de Marie. 22 May. Written in a fine late eighteenth-century French hand on laid paper, it hints at a contemporary owner within the Francophone cultural circles that surrounded Frederick’s court. This small fragment of personal correspondence adds a human element to the books, connecting them to the world in which they were first read.
The volumes are clean, crisp, and beautifully printed, with strong impressions on laid paper throughout. Internal condition is excellent for a set of this scale and age. Minor wear to bindings but no structural instability. A complete and coherent survival of an ambitious Berlin edition.
These posthumous works stand as one of the most important literary monuments dedicated to an Enlightenment ruler. They preserve the intellectual personality of Frederick the Great: his political ideals, his correspondence with European thinkers, and the literary pursuits that shaped his public image. Complete sets in original bindings are increasingly uncommon and highly sought after by collectors of Enlightenment history, royal correspondence, and Prussian studies.
A refined and historically resonant addition to any collection of eighteenth-century literature or European intellectual history.
