Antoine de Sommaville

First edition of the French translation of Livy's Roman History by Pierre Du Ryer, historian, member of the French Academy and great translator for the Parisian booksellers of the period. This translation is accompanied by the supplements of Jean Freinsheim, philologist and historiographer to Queen Christina of Sweden, to whom Du Ryer dedicates the work. The edition also includes Florus's complete Summaries at the head of each book. Arms of Louis XIII engraved on the title page, text enhanced with engraved headpieces, initials and tailpieces.

Full calf binding, spine with 6 raised bands, later 18th-century red morocco title-label decorated with an eagle, arms of the Sade family...

New edition, after the first published in 1653. An allegorical frontispiece, unsigned, quite finely engraved.
Bound in full contemporary soft vellum. Smooth spine, with illegible and faded penned title. Small brown stain on upper board. Frontispiece faded in margin. A good, fresh copy.
The author's most famous work, whose classical prosody is still acclaimed today. Although not a member of any school, and especially not that of Malherbe and his disciples, Saint-Amant's style and manner are classical, recounting the story of Moses in the epic genre and in continuous verse. This highly readable, hyperbolic poetry has clear echoes of Victor Hugo. Preface by the author.

A reprint by the same publisher of the original published in 1657; it is very handsomely illustrated with a medallion portrait of Lucan supported by two eagles, a frontispiece and 10 very lively copperplate engravings (shipwreck, battles...) engraved by François Chauveau. All the plates, apart from the title-frontispiece, are before the letter. This second edition certainly benefited from the very first remaining prints.
Full raspberry red morocco binding from the end of the 19th century signed Petit. Raised band spine with blind compartments. Blind fillet frame on the covers. Gilt title and date at foot. All edges gilt. Rich decorative gilt board-edges. A stain on the third compartment...

Second edition reprinted from the 1655 original, expanded with the Dictionary of Hunters; and illustrated with a frontispiece. This edition is better printed than the first and in a slightly larger format.

Contemporary flexible full vellum binding. Smooth spine with title and date at tail in black ink executed in the 19th century. Two small lacks at head of title-leaf and frontispiece not touching the engraving. Fine copy.

Famous treatise on hunting, the most important of the 17th century, intended according to the author himself to replace the older one by du Fouilloux whose last edition dated back to 1650. The work is much more complete...

First edition of this translation by Pilet de Ménardière. A title vignette featuring the emperor's effigy (repeated after the preface).
Contemporary full vellum binding. Smooth spine with faded red ink title. Visible stitching.
This panegyric, as announced on the first page of text, was delivered by Pliny the Younger before the Senate, in the emperor's presence, when Pliny was Consul. In fact, the speech delivered by Pliny was much shorter than this one and it was written to thank the emperor for choosing him as consul; it was only later that Pliny reworked his text by expanding it historically and gave it this title. Some believe that Trajan and Pliny were close from the time of...