32 pp. 8vo (215 x 140 mm.), two loose quires, leaves uncut. Paris: Le Normant fils, 1827.

First and only edition of a seminal pamphlet by Chateaubriand in which he denounces the censorship measures ratified under Charles X. He calls the idea of “freedom of the press” a mere abstraction in France at that time. This article was sponsored by the Journal des Débats, which actively pressured the government to relax its stringent regulations on the press. Chateaubriand, with several prominent writers, formed the Société des amis de la liberté de la presse in 1827 to promote press freedom.

Chateaubriand dramatically writes on page 4 (in trans.): “Honor and my country call me back to the battlefield. I have reached an age where men need rest; but if I judged from my years, by the ever-growing hate that oppression and baseness inspire in me, I might believe I had grown young again.” More

16 pp. Small 8vo, self-bound. Altdorf: F.X. Z’graggen, 1831.

A very rare pamphlet on political freedom by Geiger (1755-1843), a Catholic priest and professor of theology in Lucerne. In 1788, he conspired with the Marquis de Vérac to restore Louis XVI to the throne. After being released from his professorship, Geiger became a journalist and wrote numerous polemical pieces on church history, Catholicism, and contemporary political issues including free speech. He founded the Schweizerische Kirchenzeitung, a Catholic theological periodical, which began publication in 1832 and is still issued.

In the present work, he offers a concise history of liberty from the time of the ancient Greeks to its contemporary manifestations in France and Germany. More

28 pp. Small 8vo, self-bound. Luzern: J. M. Anich, 1828.

First edition of this rare speech by Pfyffer (1794-1875), Swiss jurist and politician, who served as president of the Swiss National Council and mayor of Lucerne. He was a prominent figure within the Lucerne Liberals, which transformed Swiss politics in the early 19th century. The present speech discusses the role of the press and free speech in Switzerland and was given in advance of negotiations within Switzerland’s Federal Diet.

Fine copy of a work for which WorldCat locates no copy in North America. More