Faramond

First edition of this abridged version of La Calprenède's novel by the Marquis de Surgères. Faramond, like La Calprenède's other novels, extended endlessly over 7 large unfinished volumes; Surgères expurgated it of its digressions and concentrated the novel on the main character.
Contemporary full brown calf binding, grained and glazed. Spine with raised bands, decorated. Red morocco title label, green morocco volume labels. Lacks at head of volume I. A tear with lack to the head compartment of volume 3. 3 corners slightly bumped. Surface abrasions on the lower board of volume 2. Small lack on the upper board of volume 2 at tail. Volume 2, pp. 23 to 50, trace of pale yellow dampstain, which resumes p. 484 to end. Volume 4, trace of dampstain in upper margin from p. 289 to 384. Otherwise, a fresh copy.
A prolific and fertile writer, La Calprenède entered the literary world at the moment of the apogee of the precious and pastoral genre of which L'Astrée by Honoré d'Urfé was already the model. He added princes, kings, and sword fights, in short the ingredients of the chivalric novel, such as Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered; the result is a series of abductions, combats, thwarted loves, in short an incredible mixture between the pastoral genre, that of chivalry and that of Greek and Latin adventure novels, the author seeming to play skillfully with all domains to satisfy his public. His works were much appreciated and read, but they were never considered serious, like their author, a good-humored Gascon gentleman.
Faramond is the author's last novel, and was left unfinished; La Calprenède wrote only 7 books of it, which his death interrupted. Once again the adventures and exploits of the noble heroes unfold in a destabilized political world, which these same heroes will restore to peace.