Thomas, Antoine Leonard. ESSAY ON THE CHARACTER, MANNERS, AND GENIUS OF WOMEN IN DIFFERENT AGES. Philadelphia: Aitken, 1774. 6.25" x 3.75". 2 volumes bound in 1. [8], 124, [4], 129, [3] pp., complete with dedication and ads. Period full sheep rubbed, front hinge cracked (held by cords), rear hinge partially cracked, all intact, spine toned and brittle, contents with some foxing and soiling/staining throughout. Pastedown and final leaf verso with some interesting early manuscript notes/quotes, other occasional underlining or smaller notes, final leaf also with a later MS commentary in pencil, calling the work "a complete contradiction..." Provenance: early ink signature of E. James to title and second leaf. ************************** VERY SCARCE FIRST AMERICAN EDITION, being Russell's English translation out of the French first edition of 1772. RBH records only 1 auction appearance (an imperfect copy) in last 100 years. The work sparked interest and criticism from the likes of Diderot, d'Epinay, Grimm, and others. It was printed at least three times in French before the end of the 18th century, and it was translated into English several times as well. For an interesting and in-depth look at this work, see: Lee, Natasha. "Sex in Translation: Antoine Leonard Thomas's Essai Sur Les Femmes and the Enlightenment Debate on Women" (Eighteenth-Century Studies, Vol. 47, no. 4, 2014.)