[SIEYÈS (Emmanuel-Joseph)]. - Lot 30

[SIEYÈS (Emmanuel-Joseph)]. What is the Third Estate? Third edition. S.l. [Paris], 1789. - In-8, unbound, in modern paper cover. Third of four editions published in the space of a few weeks, this pamphlet has become a classic of European political literature. It was written by Abbé Sieyès (1748-1836), vicar-general of Chartres and revolutionary theorist, who published it in January 1789 during the election campaign preceding the convening of the Estates General. "The work was intended to embody the radical demands of a Third State all the more impatient to emancipate itself, since it is conceived here as the expression of the entire nation" (En français dans le texte, 186). It is famous not least for its incipit, which sets out the plan and content of the work: "1°. What is the Third Estate? EVERYTHING. 2°. What has it been up to now in the political order? NOTHING. 3°. What is it asking for? To become SOMETHING. According to Jacques T. Quentin, with this text Sieyès became "the inventor of modern representation and of a political practice on which we have never ceased to live. In this respect, he is one of the fathers of our public law. Unbound copy in modern cover. Missing tear and very slight damage to text on G8 leaf.