Blaise Pascal: Pensées, Provinciales and Early Editions

The Provinciales: clandestine letters

The first letter, dated 23 January 1656, appeared anonymously and clandestinely, printed in around two thousand copies; the series ran to eighteen letters, ending in March 1657. Later that year, the separately printed letters were gathered under a general title: Les Provinciales, ou les Lettres escrites par Louis de Montalte à un provincial de ses amis, with the fictitious imprint “À Cologne, chez Pierre de la Vallée.” Nicole published a Latin translation in 1658.

These 1657 in-4° volumes are the cornerstone of any Pascal library, and their contents vary: some letters went through several printings, which bibliographers distinguish. The numerous seventeenth- and eighteenth-century editions in smaller formats, often under Montalte’s name, are more affordable.

The Pensées: from Port-Royal to critical editions

In January 1670, Guillaume Desprez in Paris issued the Port-Royal edition: Pensées de M. Pascal sur la religion et sur quelques autres sujets, qui ont esté trouvées après sa mort parmy ses papiers. Pascal’s friends at Port-Royal selected and arranged the fragments. A second edition followed in March 1670, and a third, enlarged by some forty fragments, in 1678—so a title dated 1670 does not guarantee the original. Bibliographers even note a pre-original of 1669.

Eighteenth-century editors reordered the text: Condorcet reissued it in 1776, Voltaire annotated it in 1778, and Bossut published Pascal’s first Œuvres in five volumes in 1779. In the nineteenth century, Prosper Faugère returned to the manuscript (1844); among the scholarly editions that followed, Auguste Molinier’s for Lemerre was printed on Hollande paper. From 1897 Léon Brunschvicg, and in 1951 Louis Lafuma, established the classifications still cited today.

What determines value—and the pitfalls

For seventeenth-century editions, period binding, completeness, and paper freshness are paramount. Maroon Jansenist bindings, with their restrained decoration developed in the Port-Royal circle, suit these texts especially well. For nineteenth-century scholarly editions, print-run matters: a copy on Hollande paper far exceeds ordinary printings.

• A collection of Provinciales may mix letters from different print runs: count the letters and any additional pieces.
• The Cologne imprint, fictitious, appears on several editions: the date and address are not sufficient to identify the original.
• Facsimiles faithfully reproduce old title pages: paper, printing, and binding must match.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is an original edition of Pensées worth?

An original from January 1670 can fetch thousands of euros depending on condition, binding, and provenance. 18th- and 19th-century editions remain far more affordable, ranging from a few dozen to a few hundred euros.

How to distinguish the original Pensées from the second 1670 edition?

The date and Guillaume Desprez’s Paris address are not enough, as two editions bear 1670. Collation and features noted in specialist bibliographies are required to decide, which the bookseller verifies before any sale.

Who is Louis de Montalte?

This is the pseudonym under which the Provinciales were published in 1657. Many early editions bear this name on the title page, sometimes without Pascal’s.

Do you buy old editions of Pascal?

Yes. The bookseller provides a free estimate based on photographs: title page, binding, and for the Provinciales, the list of included letters.

Further reading

• Our authors: all author pages from the bookshop.
• Voltaire, critical reader of Pensées in his Lettres philosophiques (1734).
• How to spot a facsimile or counterfeit of an old book.
• Morocco, shagreen, sheepskin, calf: identifying binding leathers.
• Rare and valuable books: our items priced at €200 and above.
• The Religion, philosophy and esotericism section.
• Selling and valuing your old books.