Charles Drelincourt - Les Consolations de l’Âme Fidèle - 1699

Charles Drelincourt
The Consolations of the Faithful Soul against the Frights of Death
Geneva, J.A. Chouet & D. Ritter, 1699 (MDCXCIX)
General description
Fine old seventeenth-century exemplar of the major work by Protestant pastor Charles Drelincourt (1595-1669).
Full title:
The Consolations of the Faithful Soul against the Frights of Death, with the arrangements and preparations necessary to die well.
Printed edition in Geneva, at the shop of Jean-Antoine Chouet & David Ritter, in 1699 (date in Roman numerals: MDCXCIX).
Iconic work of Protestant religious literature, immense publishing success in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, widely disseminated among French-speaking Reformed circles.
Bibliographic details
Author: Charles Drelincourt (1595-1669)
Original language: French
Place of edition: Geneva
Publisher/Printer: J.A. Chouet & D. Ritter
Date: 1699
Format: small 8vo (to be confirmed according to exact dimensions)
Binding: old flexible vellum binding (likely period)
Title page adorned with an allegorical engraved vignette.
Subject of the work
Treatise on Christian consolation in the face of death, structured in meditations, exhortations, and prayers.
Themes addressed:
Christian death and the hope of salvation
Spiritual preparation
Reformed faith and assurance in divine grace
Meditations and prayers to accompany the faithful
A representative work of seventeenth-century Protestant theology.
Condition
Genuine seventeenth-century copy in used condition consistent with its age:
Tanned paper with foxing
Old humidity stains
Corners and headpieces worn
Backstrip weakened, stitching visible
Quarto gatherings slightly loosened but structurally cohesive overall
Old handwritten inscriptions visible on some pages (provenance)
Flexible vellum binding showing wear and signs of time
Unrestored book.
Sold as is (see detailed photos).
Bibliophilic interest
Genevan edition of the seventeenth century
Historic Protestant printing
Preserved old binding
Important testimony to Reformed spirituality
Although not the original edition (mid-seventeenth century), this 1699 reprint remains an ancient copy sought after by collectors of religious books and Geneva prints.