VILAIN XIIII, Jean-Jacques-Philippe Memorandum... Lot 50

VILAIN XIIII, Jean-Jacques-Philippe Memorandum on the means of correcting criminals and idlers to their own advantage and to make them useful to the State, proposed to the Assembly of Deputies (...) & presented to the Body & Administrations of the States of Flanders in January 1775 Ghent P. de Goesin [1775] ORIGINAL EDITION of this memoir by the Grand Bailiff of Ghent (Aalst 1712-1777 Wetteren) proposed to the Assembly of Deputies and presented to the bodies and administrations of the States of Flanders in January 1775, a similar 1st memoir by the same author having appeared in Ghent without a printer's name in April 1771. The author proposes a real reform of the penitentiary system of the Austrian Netherlands by the creation of houses of force and correction where the prisoners would work on works of general interest in order to leave corrected, fined, as good workers and honest citizens. It was to be a direct source of inspiration for several generations of reformers until the 20th century, in Europe and in America. Ref. Vanderhaeghen Bib. gantoise 4550; Biogr. nat. belge XXVI-742/749 4°, [6], 268 pp, illus. of 4 engraved plates by Bertrand showing plans and facades of reformatories. (on double pages mounted on tabs). Text surrounded by a typographic frame with fleurons, with some woodcuts, lettering and endpapers. Some beautiful passages in civility characters. Bound in contemporary half calf, tr. marbled with blue (lacks at the headpieces, spines cracked with small lacks, corners dull). Joint: lithogr. Cellular prison in Liege. Projected and built by J.J. Dumont'.