Rabelais, François (c. 1483-1553)
Group Lot of 16th Century Editions of his Works: Five Titles in Six Volumes.
Including five small format editions (16mo) of Rabelais's Oeuvres with the following imprints:
1) Antwerp: Par François Nierg, 1573, printed with five divisional title pages, each printed within a woodcut device, with the full-page woodcut of the bottle; bound in full 17th century speckled calf, spine tooled in gilt, nicely preserved; ex libris Pringle of Whitebank with armorial bookplate; 4 1/2 x 2 7/8 in.
2) Lyon: Pour Pierre Estiard, 1574, sixth edition of the full text, including the fifth book, with separate title page; bound in full parchment; ex libris Pierre-Paul Plan, with bookplate; 4 5/8 x 2 7/8 in.
3) Lyon: Par Pierre Estiard, 1580, bound in dark brown panel-stamped German boards depicting a female figure with a lion, possibly Saint Tatiana; rebacked and re-edged, perhaps not originally associated with the textblock; 4 7/8 x 2 7/8 in.
4) Lyon: Par Jean Martin, 1588, bound in two volumes, in red morocco by Zahnesdorf, both neatly rebacked; with Byrdcliffe bookplate and added author portrait; lacking I2, some margins restored, woodcut of the bottle on Fff8, other internal defects, 4 1/2 x 3 in.
5) [Montbeliard: J. Foillet], 1596, with separate title page for the fifth book with the Lyon: Estiart imprint dated 1596, some contemporary annotations in German, woodcut of the bottle; bound in full contemporary German parchment, 4 1/2 x 3 in. (6)
From the Ken Rapoport Collection.
