Plutarch (Plutarque) - Les Oeuvres Morales de Plutarque - 1597

PLUTARCH - Les Oeuvres Morales & Meslees - Paris 1597 - First Volume Complete

Author: Plutarchus / Plutarque (c.46-120)
Title: Les Oeuvres Morales & Meslees de Plutarque
Translation: Jacques Amyot (1513-1593)
Publisher: A Paris, Chez la Veufue de Gabriel Buon, au clos Bruneau à l'Image Sainct Claude
Date: M.D.XCVII. [1597]
Language: Middle French
Collation: [1142] pp. + complete INDICE TRES-AMPLE DES NOMS, SENTENCES, PROVERBES & DITS NOTABLES + final PROVERBES section
Format: 8vo - 175 x 115 mm

Binding: Original contemporary limp vellum binding, manuscript title on spine "PLUTARQUE", original sewing visible on spine, gilt edges with natural patina. No modern restoration.

Condition: Good antiquarian condition for 428 years. Laid paper with uniform age toning. Vellum with honest wear, darkening and small defects to spine as expected. Text block firm, complete, no missing leaves. No library stamps. Clean text, perfectly readable. Photos are of the actual copy.

Completeness - Documented:
- Title page with printer's device "MECVM PORTO OMNIA MEA" and imprint M.D.XCVII present [Photo 1]
- Page 1142 with "Fin des Oeuvres Morales de Plutarque" + printer's vignette [Photo 2]
- Complete INDICE TRES-AMPLE with engraved headpiece with putti and ornamental initials - from A to V [Photo 3-4]
- Original gathering signatures preserved: "cccc iiij", "kkk", "A" - confirming contemporary binding
- Final section with Old French proverbs and final FIN present

Provenance: Private collection, Romania.

Notes: Jacques Amyot's translation is the canonical French translation, the source for Montaigne's Essays and for Shakespeare's Roman plays via Thomas North. This 1597 edition is the last edition revised by Amyot himself. Complete copies with the full Index are rare on the market; most surviving copies lack the Index.

Will be packed professionally with acid-free tissue and double box, insured shipping.