Napoléon Bonaparte - CODE NAPOLEON - Paris - 1807

In 1807, Napoleon I permanently etched his name into legal history by officially giving his name to the Civil Code, now known as the Napoleonic Code. This foundational text then became the basis of modern law and would enduringly influence numerous legal systems across Europe and the world.

The proposed volume is an authentic copy published in the same year, a true witness to this key period of the Empire, originally intended for legal professionals: notaries, magistrates, and administrations.

This is the stereotype edition published in Paris in 1807. The printing is carried out according to the Herhan method, using movable copper matrices that allow faithful reproduction and wide diffusion of the official text throughout Napoleonic France.

The work was printed by the Imprimerie des Frères Mame, on Rue du Foin-de-Fer in Paris, and distributed, notably, by the booksellers Garnery and H. Nicolle, who specialized in legal works of the period.

The volume comprises the entirety of the Civil Code then in force: the preliminary title on the publication and application of laws, Book I devoted to persons (civil status, marriage, filiation, guardianship), Book II relating to property and the various modifications of ownership, and Book III dealing with the different ways of acquiring ownership (successions, contracts, obligations, sales, mortgages, prescription). The work also includes transitional laws as well as an analytical table facilitating legal consultation.

The book is preserved in its full-leather period binding, with the spine adorned by gold decorative tooling and bearing the title piece “Code Napoléon.” The whole shows an authentic antique patina with normal signs of use: rubbing, worn headcaps and corners, as well as a few foxed spots interior in keeping with a working volume over two centuries old. The text remains perfectly legible and the volume is complete.

Unlike modern or purely decorative editions, this copy is a genuine legal instrument that was used under the Empire, which gives it a charm and authenticity sought by collectors.

An iconic work, at once a piece of Napoleonic history and a foundation of modern civil law, ideal for collectors, history enthusiasts, or to enrich an old library.

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