Charles SOREL

First edition of an important work by Charles Sorel, historiographer of France and novelist, in which he surveys with severity and wit the literary production of his time, which he considered overly given to fiction.

 Complete with its eagle headpieces.

Contemporary full mottled brown calf, spine with five raised bands decorated with gilt compartments and gilt title, gilt roll on the board edges, red mottled e

The rare first edition of this collection in which all the works have been chosen by Charles Sorel. Lacking the frontispiece. A second part will appear in 1662.
Contemporary limp full vellum binding. Smooth spine with later black ink title. Lacking endpapers. Book partially detached from the binding and held only by a few stitches.
Charles Sorel composed this collection of gallant pieces in prose whose authors have not been identified; one can distinguish more than 18 pieces on love, banter and gallantry, testimonies to a literary genre now disappeared, precious literature, of a certain frivolity, and which owed much to the literary salons of the time. One will note the followin