L’Histoire de la Naissance, Progrez et Decadence de L’Heresie de ce Siecle. Divisee en Huit Livres. Dedié à nôtre saint Pere le Pape Paul cinquiéme. Par Florimond de Raemond. Paris: Charles Chastellain, 1610.
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Florimond de Raemond (1540-1602) was an advisor to the king in the court of the parliament of Bordeaux, successor to Montaigne, and fervent fighter of Calvinism. This book is part of the Counter-Reformation tradition in which de Raemond discusses Protestant heresies and fiercely criticises leading Protestant theologians of the time like Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli, arguing that Protestantism is destined for failure.
This copy is attractively bound in contemporary vellum with the title in manuscript to the spine. A very rare work, very scarcely encountered in commerce.
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Size: 190 x 248 mm (approx.)
Condition:
[a4, ē4, ĩ4, A1-Z4, 2A1-2Z4, 3A1-3Z4, 4A1-4Z4, 5A1-5Z4, 6A1-6Z4, AAaaaa1-CCcccc4, (2)]
Contemporary (original) full vellum, title supplied in manuscript to head of spine, faded. Vellum largely very clean and well preserved, lacks ties. No attached bookplates. Pencil inscription to front and rear pastedowns from a previous bookseller. Ownership inscription to title page dated 1844 (French), with another excised leaving two small holes to edge of title leaf. Some contemporary underlining in places throughout but generally without marginalia, presumably early private Catholic ownership. This underlining is mostly to the first half of the book.
Lacks front blank else collates as complete. The final section in the collation after 6A does not proceed to 7A, rather to AAaaaa, but collates as complete despite the odd collation at the rear. Text ends on pp.1065. Large tear to pp.673, no loss to text, else very clean and well preserved through the entire text. An excellent copy.
