Nicolas BOILEAU

Illustrated edition with etchings by Valentin Foulquier.
Half hazelnut shagreen binding with corners, spine with five raised bands decorated with the gilt monogram of the great bibliophile Roger de Cormenin repeated five times, some rubbing to the raised bands, marbled paper boards, combed paper endpapers and pastedowns, top edge gilt, unsigned binding.
Light dampstains to corners.
Notes by Poujoulat.
Provenance: from the library of Roger de Cormenin, son of Louis de Cormenin who was the confidant and secretary of Théophile Gautier and also the intimate friend of Gustave Flaubert.
Handsome copy attractively bound.

Last edition of Boileau's works corrected and published during the author's lifetime. The author admits preferring this final edition in his preface, which is why it came to be called: La favorite. This edition is also the first to bear the author's name. It is illustrated with an allegorical frontispiece by Landry and 2 figures by Chauveau dated 1678, as well as an ornamental initial and headpiece. Complete, though pagination jumps from 232 to 241. Title page in red and black.
Contemporary binding in full speckled brown sheep. Spine with raised bands, decorated. Brown sheep title label. Surface wear to upper cover. Lacking leather along lower border. Rubbing. Good copy.
The first part contains: "Satires", "Epistres", "L'art poëtique en vers", "Le Lutrin, poëme heroïcomique", "Odes, epigrammes, et autres poësies", "Reflexions critiques sur quelques passages du Theteur Longin", and "Lettre a Monsieur Perrault"; the second: "Le traité du sublime, ou du merveilleux dans le discours", translation of Longin.

New edition illustrated with a frontispiece and 12 figures after new drawings designed and engraved by various artists including Claude Marie François Dien, with commentary by Pierre Tiffon de Saint-Surin.
Half blonde morocco bindings, spines with four raised bands decorated with compartments, double compartments and gilt tools, blind fillets outlining the bands, gilt roulettes and fillets at head and foot, marbled paper boards, pastedowns and endpapers.
Foot headcaps and leading edges rubbed, some corners slightly bumped, corners rubbed, occasional foxing.

Second issue of this edition. A frontispiece portrait after Rigaud engraved by Delaunay and 6 figures after Picard re-engraved by the same. Printed on fine laid paper from the Vosges, with Blondin watermark, St. Dié.
Contemporary full tree calf bindings. Smooth spines decorated with a sun tool, 2 compartments with grotesques and a fleuron. Double framing border on the boards. Red morocco title and volume labels. Head of volume 2 partly cut, but slightly. Spines sunned. Traces of rubbing. Gilt edges. 2 corners bumped.
Complete works with prefaces, variants and correspondence, and notes. Some contemporary pen annotations; one will notice this address to the preface writer at the end of the Preliminary Discourse: "Que tu dois te repentir d'avoir écrit cette platitude !" ["How you must regret having written this platitude!"]

New edition expanded with a commentary by Jean-Augustin Amar du Rivier, and illustrated with a portrait of the author as frontispiece engraved by Ligon after Rigaud and 6 figures hors-texte engraved by Pierre Adam, Chollet, Burdet, Larcher and Lorichon after Desenne.
Half green Russia leather bindings with corners, spines with five raised bands decorated with fleurons and roulettes stamped in blind, with gilt compartments and roulettes, headcap of the second volume slightly cracked, joints lightly rubbed, marbled paper boards, second board of the third and fourth volumes very lightly rubbed, some corners slightly bumped, endpapers and pastedowns of red speckled marbled paper, armorial bookplate of the Martineau des Chesnez family pasted on the front pastedown of the first volume. Contemporary binding signed Simier.
Handsome copy in a half Russia leather binding signed Simier.

New edition printed on laid paper and illustrated with a frontispiece drawn by Bernard Picart dit le Romain and engraved by Vinkeles. Also includes two allegorical figures by van der Meer (as frontispiece to l'Epitre and l'Art poétique), 6 figures after Picart re-engraved by Vinkeles for Le Lutrin and four title vignettes by van der Meer and one by F. de Bakker.
Contemporary bindings in full speckled blonde calf, smooth spines decorated with red straight-grained morocco title and volume labels, fleurons and triple gilt fillets, gilt striations on headcaps, gilt fillets on leading edges, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, all edges speckled blue. Gilt initials at foot of spines.
Headcap of volume 1 slightly rubbed, discreet worming on tailcap of volume 1 and on title label as well as at foot of joint of second board of volumes 3 and 5, traces of rubbing on boards, slight lack to first board of volumes 1 and 3, small dark stains on spine and second board of volume 1, corners somewhat rubbed. Very small wormhole to upper margin of leaves of volume 2.
Fresh copy, free from foxing.

New edition, one of 500 numbered copies on Holland paper.
Half dark green morocco bindings with corners, spines with five raised bands decorated with cold fillets and compartments enhanced with gilt floral motifs, gilt dates at foot, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, top edges gilt, elegant unsigned binding.
Handsome copy.

First bilingual edition, decorated with a frontispiece by Ertinger. Title page in red and black. Bilingual edition with the translation on facing pages.
Contemporary full blonde marbled calf binding. Spine with raised bands decorated with 5 compartmentalized fleurons. Binding with monogram stamped on covers, a B within a D. Upper joint cracked at foot. One lack at head. Rubbing. One corner very bumped.
Blue stamp on title page and library label: Domus Acheolana Societatis Jesus.
Treatise on the rhetoric of elevated discourse, the work enjoyed great success in Boileau's translation where it took its place in the Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns.

New edition and first given by Saint-Marc, with his remarks and commentaries. It is illustrated with a portrait by Rigaud, engraved by Daullé, 5 fleurons on the titles by Eisen and engraved by Boucher, 39 vignettes by Eisen and engraved by Avéline, by La Fosse unsigned, 25 unsigned tailpieces and 6 figures by Cochin for Le lutrin.
Contemporary full marbled and glazed calf bindings. Spine with raised bands decorated. Red morocco title label, and beige morocco volume labels. Joints of volume I cracked at head. Lower joint of volume III cracked at foot. Joints of volume V cracked. Restorations to headcaps and joints of the 5 volumes. Paper uniformly yellowed.
Saint-Marc's first edition is one of the best critical editions of Boileau's work. Saint-Marc did not purely abrogate the contribution of different editions, but used them judiciously to create his own. He restored Brossette's commentaries, and gathered the various notes from previous editions. Saint-Marc's notes and commentaries constitute a large part of the work and accompany the text very intelligently, without vain erudition.
19th century armorial bookplate of A. Aubaret.

New edition, illustrated with a frontispiece by Picart engraved by Winkeles, 2 allegorical figures by van der Meer (the Epistle and the Poetic Art), and 6 figures after Picart re-engraved by Vinkeles for Le lutrin, 4 title vignettes by van der Meer and one by F. de Bakker. This edition also appeared in Amsterdam, published by Changuion. Picart's figures were taken from the 1718 edition, they are printed on thick paper.
Contemporary full scaled calf binding. Richly decorated spine with raised bands, head and tail rolls. Green morocco title and volume labels. Triple fillet frame on covers. Green painted edges. One tear with lack at head of volume I; headcap of volume II worn down; lack at head of volume III. Several corners bumped. Lower right corner worn. Despite the noted defects, handsome binding, with very decorative appearance. Fresh copy, with wide margins.
After the great edition of Boileau's works published in 1718 in folio format, and given the success, fine editions of this author followed one after another in 1722, 1729, 1745, with variants. This last edition, well printed, whose subtle typographical variations suggest the reduction of a folio, has been revised, and the spelling has been modernized; the pamphlet Boileau aux prises avec les jésuites has been restored, and a life of the author has been added. Finally, one cannot emphasize enough the critical quality of this edition, which takes up the abundant and judicious remarks and commentaries of Saint-Marc from the 1745 edition.

First edition of Boileau to bear the title Oeuvres and containing 9 satires, 4 epistles, the first four cantos of the Lutrin and the treatise on the sublime. The edition also contains a new notice to the reader and a new preface. Fine printing, in italics. There would exist an edition of Boileau's pieces dating from 1670 which Boileau mentions without stating the date, but which appears untraceable; Brunet cites it in commentary, without giving a date.
Contemporary full marbled sheep binding. Jansenist spine with raised bands. Black title-label. Generally rubbed. 2 corners slightly bumped. Missing the second leaf completing the privilege (final lines indicating the date). The two frontispieces are also missing, one should appear before the title, the other before the Lutrin. Title page soiled.
Important edition.

First edition, rare. Large fleuron on title page. Text in italics. Large title headpieces, initials.
Full glazed blonde calf binding, circa 1820. Spine with raised bands decorated with 4 fleurons; blind-tooled fillets and fillet at foot. Black morocco title and volume labels. Decorative border frame on covers. Gilt edges. Foxing on first blank leaf and browning to margin of title page. Very handsome copy, fresh.
This edition contains the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth epistles in first edition. Writings from his literary maturity, the epistles are characterized by a more mature and serene style than the satires.
Bookplate of Dr. Manessier.

Collected edition.
Bradel binding in full dark brown cardboard, smooth spine faded with traces of rubbing and some losses, hazel shagreen title-label with Malherbe's name in gilt, corners slightly bumped.
With an engraved portrait of Boileau as frontispiece.
Printed in two columns.
Copy almost entirely free from foxing.

Handwritten manuscript autograph Jacques Bainville, 45 sheets written in blue ink, many erasures and additions.

Sets of autographed notes of Jacques Bainville on the works of Nicolas Boileau, published in 1928 ( Oeuvres de Boileau, Paris, The City of Books, 1928).

First illustrated edition, decorated with a portrait of the author by Rigaud engraved by Daulé, 39 vignettes including 5 bands, 31 of tailpieces including 18 signed by Eisen (against 25 counted by Cohen), engraved by Boucher, Aveline , Delafosse and Tardieu (mostly unsigned) and 6 beautiful figures to the lectern, unsigned which Cohen says they are Cochin; they were taken from the 1718 edition, but without the embellished frame. Ratings and reviews of St. Mark also appear for the first time in this edition. Beautiful typographical execution.
Binders of the time in full mottled calf. Back with five nerves decorated with boxes and gilded florets, as well as parts of title and volume number morocco red and brown. net gilded on the cuts. All marbled. Mors skillfully restored.
Volume 1: Address to the King, Discourse on Satire Volume 2. Poetic Art, odes, epigrams, various poems, fragments, epigrams Vol. 3: Dialogues, speech, other works, letters, Critical Reflections Vol. 4: Treaty of the Sublime . Volume 5: Boleana, philological essays.
highly sought edition according to Cohen. Note that this edition reproduces the errors of previous editions and the contents of Volume V is not Boileau, but La Bruyère. All notes previous editions have been preserved.
One of illustrated editions of Boileau more popular, because of its size, more enjoyable and manageable than the large folio edition in 1718.