Beschreibung:

CHRONIQUES DE FRANCE -- Le premier [ ...second, tiers ] volume des grans croniques de france . Paris: François Regnault and Guillaume Eustace, 1 October 1514. 3 volumes, 2° (319 x 205mm). Collation: I: ã 6 a-z 6 A-K 6 L 8. 212 leaves. II: AA 8 BB-XX 6 aaa-lll 6 mmm 4. 197 (of 198, without final blank) leaves. III: ããã 6 6 AAA-XXX 6 AAAA-XXXX 6 yyyy-zzzz 6 \\i\\i\\i\\i 6 \\j\\j\\j\\j 6. 288 leaves. Bastarda type, double column, 50 lines and headline. Xylographic and typographic title in vol. I, xylographic titles in vols. II and III. 50 woodcuts (28; 12; 10, respectively), including repeats, consisting of 27 large and 23 small cuts, the last (arms of France) with fleurs-de-lis coloured ochre; Regnault device on first title, Eustace device (Renouard 309) at end of vols. I and III, woodcut grotesque initial L on vols. II and III titles, white-on-black and other woodcut initials; an additional full-page woodcut Eustace device (Renouard 313) is laid into vol. III. (Some light, scattered staining, very light soiling on first title and at end of vol. III, occasional small wormholes, wormtrack in quires I:c-f, occasional minor paper flaws, light pen markings on a few woodcuts.) Dutch 18th-century morocco gilt, sides with narrow roll-tooled border and Goldsmid supralibros at centre, flat spines tooled in compartments with floral sprays, marbled endpapers, gilt edges (sides lightly rubbed). Provenance : J.B. van Blootacker, 1704 (inscription in shield of presentation woodcut in vol. I) -- John Louis Goldsmid (binding, sale Evans, 11 December 1815, 3rd day, lot 432 in red morocco, to Rennie for £9.9). THIRD EDITION, THE SECOND ILLUSTRATED. The Chroniques de France is also known as the Chroniques de Saint-Denis , owing to its compilation from the 12th to 15th century by the monks of Saint-Denis. They were recognised as official historians of the French monarchy, and, appropriately, the Chroniques glorifies France and her rulers. It was begun by Abbot Suger (d.1151) in Latin, translated by Alexandre Primat c.1274, and continued by Guillaume de Nangis (fl. 1285-1300), Jean Chartier and others. From the 14th century the continuations were written in French. Eustace reprinted Vérard's 1493 edition, complete with the dedication to Charles VIII (d.1498) and a number of Vérard's woodcuts, since, as the letter patent at the end of the last volume states, it was out of print and unavailable. Some copies, including the Botfield copy, were issued by François Regnault and bear his device, rather than Eustace's, on the first title, and a large presentation woodcut on the title verso replaces Eustace's full-page device. Brunet I: 1869; Moreau, Ed. Parisiennes 1514.796; Winn Vérard , p.257. Not in Adams, Mortimer, Harvard French , or Davies, Murrary French . (3)