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DISCOURSE ON THE METHOD

FOLLOWED BY THE

Metaphysical Meditations

A facsimile reproduction of René Descartes' personal closing and signature in seventeenth-century cursive script.

Your most obedient and

most passionate servant

Des Cartes

Descartes often signed his name as "Des Cartes" in two words, reflecting the noble origins of his family name (of the "Cartes").

(Descartes’ autograph, provided by Mr. Charavay).

Etienne Charavay (1848–1899) was a prominent French historian, collector, and expert in autographs; his contribution indicates this is a scholarly 19th-century edition.

Discourse on the Method (1637): Descartes' landmark work introducing his philosophical and scientific system. Metaphysical Meditations (1641): A foundational text of modern philosophy where Descartes seeks to prove the existence of God and the immortality of the soul through reason. Autograph: A person’s own signature or handwriting.