Les memoires de feu Monsieur le Duc de Guise

First edition, uncommon. A title vignette with the arms of the Duke of Guise, Henri II de Lorraine (1614-1664). These memoirs were published by the Duke's secretary, sieur de Saint-Yon, who allegedly asked Philippe Goibeau to write them. It should be noted however that Augustin Calmet, (Bibl. lorraine 594) does not doubt that these memoirs are from the duke's hand. Fine printing in large characters.
Contemporary full brown speckled and glazed sheep binding. Richly decorated spine with raised bands. Brown morocco title label. Narrow split to joints at head. Last compartment narrowly split on upper joint. Missing one third of the title label. 3 corners slightly bumped. Pale gilt crayon letters have been added where those of the title label are missing, namely ME before MOIRE and the G of Guise. Slight trace of pale dampstain from p.122 in upper margin, on several leaves, then appearing erratically; this dampstain becomes yellow from p. 744 to the end and is more pronounced.
18th-century armorial bookplate: S.R.I. comes de Wiser eer Dinand Andreas.
"These Memoirs deal with the Naples expedition, where the Duke of Guise tries to have the claims of the house of Lorraine on the kingdom of the Two Sicilies accepted and where his attempt ends with captivity among the Spanish" (Sources de l'histoire de France, 785). Here is what abbé Gallois says about it in the Journal des Savants in 1668: "It must be admitted that there is in these Memoirs something indefinable, which cannot be expressed and which is not ordinarily found in histories, whether this comes from M. de Guise's particular genius, or by birth, or perhaps from the fact that those who have themselves performed great exploits have a particular advantage in writing about them".