Identification
Author: Boureau-Deslandes, André-François 1690-1757 [Translated by Edward Combe]
Title: The Art of Being Easy at all Times : and in all Places / Written Chiefly for the use of a Lady of Quality. Made English from the French Original by Edward Combe.
Publisher: C. Rivington
Place of Publication: London
Year of Publication: 1724
MSU Library Call Number: BJ1482 .D4 1724
Description
This copy is bound in a combination of dark fabric as well as brown leather. The fabric on the cover is well-worn and fraying in some parts, particularly where it meets the leather. The brown leather adorns the spine and corners of the front and back cover, and the spine features raised bands with slight gilding. There is damage to the leather between the first and third bands along the spine, and some of the gilding has been worn away. The paper within the book is slightly discolored, likely due to repeated use. This copy was likely rebound at some point, as there are new end leaves at the front and back of this copy, although there is no evidence that the old leaves were trimmed. Many of the latter pages feature evidence of some sort of liquid damage, likely water.
This book acts as a guide for those seeking to be happier or ‘easier’ in their daily lives, with an emphasis on women. Many philosophical points made can be argued to still stand to this day, especially points about how all men are viable to feel uneasy at times, and that the world is divided between pride and ignorance. The author of this book, Deslandes, was a French philosopher and member of Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres and the Prussian Academy of Sciences, so the scholarly connection and interest to the nature of happiness and the world makes sense, as he wrote down his ponderings in a book that could then be studied by future philosophers and scholars.
As a philosophical book on happiness, this book as a literary creation is something that can be looked at and studied to this day and will thus always have a level of significance to those involved in its area of study. Just like ancient Greek philosophy, relatively modern philosophy is worth studying to see through the minds of those who originally philosophized and gain perspective through their knowledge.
This version of “The Art of Being Easy at all Times” is a translation of the original french book “L’art de ne point s’ennuyer”, available to view at https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k39986s.
Provenance
- “William Kipling” Stamp on the final Dedication page
- Writing on Half-title page that reads “William Kipling February 5th 1889”, possibly written in pen
- Underlined passages throughout much of the book, the notes are written in graphite
- Inserts marking MSU’s current ownership of this copy from 1996 onward, acquired by Agnes Widder.
- Water damage on later pages
- New end leaves at beginning and end of the book, it may have been rebound
While this copy was printed in 1724, the earliest evidence of ownership appears to have occurred in February 1889. On the half-title page of this copy, there is a signature from a person named William Kipling, with the date “February 5th, 1889”, written in what appears to be pen, which sets it apart from much of the other writing/marking found in this copy. Further evidence of this ownership by William Kipling exists in the form of a blue ink stamp on the dedication page that reads “William Kipling” and “Carrowcroft Romaldkirk”. When I looked into this stamp, as well as William Kipling’s name, I discovered that there is a village in England named “Romaldkrik”, where there stands a building named “Carrowcroft”, possibly where the Kipling family lived, the location can be found here, in a collection of historical sites in England. “Romaldkirk” is found within the Teesdale Valley of the Pennines mountain range in Northern England. It is unclear which William Kipling owned this copy, as research into lineages and graves implies that the name “William” is passed down through generations in the Kipling family, dating back at least to 1700.
Sometime after 1889, when William Kipling owned the copy, it may have been passed on to another, unnamed, person who would have studied the book. The evidence for this is found in the markings written in graphite pencil at certain points in the book. These markings were likely made by someone other than William Kipling, as the writing made by Kipling is made in what appears to be pen/ink, and the small amount of writing in pencil (most is underlining of text) is done in a different style of handwriting (found on the first leaf of the book). More information about this William Kipling can be found in this PDF, I believe he is the William referred to as ‘Son William’ (an estimation based on his marriage in 1885, just a few years before the signature written on the half-title).
At some point in this chain of ownership, this copy was exposed to a liquid (most likely water) that left water damage on some of the later pages in this copy (the last thirty or so pages). The water damage is not severe to the point of illegibility, despite the prevalence of it near the end of the book. It is unclear whether this water damage is the reason for the rebinding and replaced end leafs. MSU acquired this copy in 1996 from a collection in Ireland, due to the efforts of Agnes Widder, a Humanities Bibliographer for the MSU Library.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9-Fran%C3%A7ois_Deslandes
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1161018?section=official-list-entry
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/1881-census/william-kipling-0023021981
https://catalog.lib.msu.edu/Record/folio.in00002025264
http://genealogy.kipling.me.uk/Newhouses%201911.pdf
Created by Nicolas Flores in Fall 2023 for Dr. Brockey’s HST 475 class at MSU
