Charles COTIN

New edition.
Full red morocco binding signed by Richard de Coverly at the bottom of the front pastedown. Raised bands spine, decorated. Gilt title and date. Triple fillet border. The 5 table leaves are restored. Handsome copy.
This collection contains 245 riddles in poetic form, a game enjoyed in many literary salons. Table of explanations of the riddles at the end, with manuscript pagination.

New edition. Cotin's name appears at the end of the Discours sur les énigmes, but not on the title page.
Contemporary full vellum binding. Smooth unlettered spine. One lack to lower board. Staining. Good copy.
The first volume contains 23 riddles with the key at the end, the second 84, the third part 83. All these riddles are in verse.

Second edition, rare, augmented with the second volume which appears in first edition and illustrated with two unsigned title-frontispieces. The first volume alone had initially appeared in 1663. Note that the most important pieces had appeared under the name "Oeuvres meslées" in 1659.
Full wine-red morocco binding from early 20th century, elegant pastiche of a contemporary binding. Smooth spine decorated with gilt title and date. Triple fillet frame on covers. Gilt edges. Spine infinitesimally and uniformly lightened. Handsome copy.
Abbé Cotin is an essential figure of 17th-century literary salons, and Molière caricatured him as Abbé Trissotin in "Les femmes savantes". He invented a game for these same salons, the riddle poem of which "Les énigmes de ce temps, et les bouts rimez" are testimony. He was the fashionable poet of this era, eagerly supplying gallant and light poetry of which "L'uranie" dedicated to Marguerite de Rohan is a model. The works also contain "Les épigrammes", "Les amours du jour et de la nuit", various prose pieces, notes and other letters, all bearing the seal of gallantry, light libertinage and good-natured humor.

New edition after the original of 1645.
Contemporary full calf binding, decorated spine with raised bands, red morocco title label. Rubbed throughout. Lacks to headcaps.
This collection of riddles refers to a game particularly fashionable in salons which consisted of making others guess a word through a poem or charade. Abbé Cotin (1604-1681), familiar with salons and with Mlle de Gournay, collected a great number of them and published them in a collection. The key to each piece is found at the end of the volume. With this work, the game could be conducted personally and serve a small society. Abbé Cotin, who had dealings with Boileau and Molière, was caricatured by Molière in Les Femmes savantes under the features of Abbé Trissotin.