CHARTIER (A.): Les faicts et dicts de feu de bonne... Lot 31

CHARTIER (A.): Les faicts et dicts de feu de bonne mémoire Alain Chartier...Galliot du Pré, 1526. Small folio in green morocco, ornate ribbed spine, DuSeuil-style decoration on covers with central numeral, gilt edges (Bound & Wright) 6 ff. uncounted, 126 ff. uncounted. VERY RARE EDITION, the first to feature the Débat du gras et du Maigre. It opens with a fine historiated title letter and features a large woodcut on the first leaf showing the author at work in his library, and another, on leaf 59, of a reader in the pulpit. The latter is preceded by an out-of-text genealogical table on royal descent from Saint Louis to Edward of England. The Faitctz et dictz by Alain Chartier (1385-1430) include the Curial, which deals with the mores of courtiers, the Quagrilogue, considered a masterpiece of medieval political literature, and several verse pieces, the réveille-matin, the bréviaire des nobles, the livre des quatre dames, the hospital d'amours, les demandes et réponses d'amours.... and lastly the Débat du Gras et du Maigre, a sort of joust between two knights who have had different successes in love: one is fat and the other thin and emaciated. Remarkable 2-column Gothic printing, the copy is fully ruled, with good margins. Paper sometimes slightly browned, but a fine copy. From the J. Renard library.