FRANCOIS RABELAIS - Les Œuvres de François Rabelais - 1663

MOUSEION CURATOR NOTE:

“Important and scarce volumes, of the 1663 first edition Elzevier Rabelais. Jewel of Amsterdam’s Golden Age, the 1663 Rabelais, “father of French prose”, presented in immaculate condition and red morocco binding, reviving for the first time the legendary La Dive Bouteille after a century’s silence.”

THE BOOKS:

RABELAIS, Les Œuvres de François Rabelais. Amsterdam: Louis & Daniel Elzevier, 1663. First Elzevier edition. Complete. 2 vols., 130 × 70 mm. Title of vol. I in red and black with the Elzevier “sphere” device; woodcut headpieces and initials; Full‑page woodcut of the famous “La dive Bouteille” in vol. II at p. 833 with the poem. Binding full red morocco richly gilt, smooth gilt spines, central gilt monogram “AMB.” A crisp, impeccably preserved example.
Arrives in MOUSEION custom-made box as seen in images.

BOOKS DESCRIPTION:

Exceptional volumes of the first Elzevier Rabelais—a small masterpiece of Dutch Golden‑Age printing that brings the great humanist, often hailed as the father of modern French prose, into the elegant pocket format that made the Elzeviers famous across Europe.
Rabelais, physician‑humanist, storyteller and satirist, who shaped how French would think and joke, argue and invent. This edition concentrates a handful of firsts and special features. It is the first Elzevier edition of Rabelais, and it restores for the first time in about a century the famed full‑page emblem of “La dive Bouteille,” the bottle‑shaped poem whose opening line—“O bouteille, pleine toute de mystère…”—became a watchword of Rabelaisian wisdom. The title of volume I is printed in red and black, bearing the instantly recognizable Elzevier sphere; the set includes the seventeenth‑century editorial apparatus so prized by readers of the time: the “Vie de Rabelais” at the front and “Éclaircissement de quelques endroits difficiles” at the end.
This volumes sit at the intersection of freedom and finesse: intellectually unbossed, materially refined. That pedigree is why connoisseurs have pursued this edition for over two centuries and why bibliographers still cite it as the point of reference.

MOUSEION CURATOR NOTE:

“More than a fine Elzevier, this 1663 Rabelais is the moment where Amsterdam’s free press, the father of French prose, and the oracular “Dive Bouteille” (here restored in its first full‑page form for nearly a century) meet in the palm of the hand. Clad in luminous red morocco and pristine within. Anchored in the great bibliographies and mirrored in major libraries, yet decisively scarce in this state, it is both a passport to the Republic of Letters and a showpiece for the cabinet. For the collector who wants one copy that tells the whole story—this is the one.”

CONDITION REPORT:

Crisp, clean leaves with strong impressions; generous margins for an in‑12; light, even toning only; a few tiny age spots to titles; no tears, no repairs, no intrusive annotations. Bindings tight and bright with minimal rubbing to corners and headcaps. The “Dive Bouteille” leaf is sharp and spotless, an ideal showpiece. A refined French bibliophile binding in full red morocco with gilt borders and a handsome monogram “AMB” at center—exactly the sort of luxury dress that elite collectors reserved for their finest Elzeviers. All edges gilt; the volumes handle beautifully and display superbly. In short: a superior, museum‑grade example.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

This 1663 printing restores the full‑page emblem of “La dive Bouteille” at Vol. II, its belly inscribed with the poem that opens “O Bouteille, pleine toute de mystères…”. That page is pristine in this copy: a deep, even impression, no handling soil, and superb margins. The image is not a mere ornament. It is the visual, oracular heart of the Cinquième Livre, and 1663 marks its first reappearance in print since the 1560s—effectively a return after almost a century. This single leaf explains the importance of the edition: Amsterdam’s press gives back to Europe a Rabelais seen as his sixteenth‑century readers first saw him—comic, learned, and gloriously visual.
Scholarly work on Dutch printing repeatedly notes Elzevier’s role in disseminating French classics in the 1660s—and Rabelais in 1663 is a prime example.
As an artifact of Amsterdam printing, the book could hardly be more representative. In the mid‑seventeenth century the Dutch Republic’s tolerant, export‑oriented book trade drew French authors across the border; the Elzeviers perfected the in‑12—compact, legible, and elegant. This Rabelais sits at the intersection of freedom and finesse: intellectually unbossed, materially refined. The copy in hand is highly distinguished not only for its textual completeness but by its remarkable state of preservation and luxury binding. A standout copy for any collection of French literature, Elzeviers, or the history of the Dutch Golden‑Age press.

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