Antoine Dezallier

First edition, quite rare, published anonymously.

Contemporary full brown calf binding. Spine with raised bands richly decorated. Red morocco title-label. Roulette on edges. One lack at head. Upper joint worn with small lacks. 2 corners bumped. Rather fresh copy.

New edition, after the original published in 1680. Copy entirely ruled.
Contemporary binding in full glazed burgundy morocco. Jansenist spine with raised bands. Gilt title. Interior fillet. Gilt edges.
Work inseparable from the life of Madame de la Vallière, which she wrote upon recovering from a long illness, during her years of retreat at the Carmelite convent. Mistress of King Louis XIV, and abandoned after 7 years, she withdrew from court to enter the convent. Nothing would make her renounce this path, and she spent the last 36 years of her life in this retreat, where in her later years, she wrote this work with the concern of repairing the errors of her past life.
Manuscript gift inscription on endpaper: "Pour Zezette. La Celle Saint Cloud. Jeudi 8 septembre 1910." ["For Zezette. La Celle Saint Cloud. Thursday September 8, 1910."]

With a frontispiece illustration showing Jesus carrying the cross as well as four plates signed N. Pilau.
Contemporary dark blue morocco, high quality and attributable to Luc-Antoine Boyet. Spine in six compartments richly gilt with compartments and fleurons, as well as purple title label. Covers with large dentelle frame and gilt fillets. Large gilt dentelle frame to red morocco endpapers. Gilt points and dashes to head- and tail-pieces and edges of covers. All edges gilt. One tear without lack to lower margin of page 61. Less than skillful repairs to joints.
A superb copy in contemporary lined morocco of a rare color.