31-BERTRAND DE MOLLEVILLE (Antoine-François de). Histoire de la Révolution de France pendant les dernières années du règne de Louis XVI. A Paris, chez Giguet, an 9-an 11-1801-1803, 14 vol. in-8, fawn calf, smooth spine decorated, blue speckled edges (contemporary binding). First and only published edition. Intendant of Brittany in 1784, Antoine-François Bertrand de Molleville soon became unpopular. He became Minister of the Navy in 1791, but was forced to resign in March 1792. The king put him in charge of a secret police force to monitor Jacobins. After August 10, he proposed an escape plan for the king, and was arrested on August 15. He managed to reach England in October, from where he wrote his memoirs. His history of the French Revolution is the first major synthesis written by a royalist, who was also a leading figure and gifted with great political intelligence. The importance of the supporting documents testifies to the seriousness with which the author prepared his work. But his version of the French Revolution was not in the zeitgeist, and his work does not appear to have been very successful. In any case, it is rare today. The last four volumes were written by Delisle de Sales, and a fifteenth volume, censored by the imperial police, never saw the light of day. Martin and Walter, I, 3076. A fine copy on large wove paper.