François Rabelais - Œuvres - 1608

RABELAIS, François
The Works of Mr. François Rabelais, Doctor of Medicine...
Antwerp, by Jean Fuet (or XVIIth‑century Antwerp title-page facsimile), 1608.

One volume in 12mo format, bound in full red morocco (later), with a smooth spine adorned with gold compartments and framing. The edition contains the five books of the heroic deeds and sayings of Gargantua and Pantagruel, as well as the Pantagruline Prognostication, the Oracle of the Dive Bacbuc, and the Bottle’s Word.

Light wear at the head and tail of the binding and at the corners. Title page with a small drawing and old handwritten notes, some foxing and browning inherent to old paper, but the body of the work remains solid and complete with its texts and wood engravings.

This precious edition gathers the major work of François Rabelais, including the five books (with The Third Book, The Fourth Book, and The Fifth Book explicitly dated 1608 on its inner title page). It also includes the emblematic wood-engraved figures in the text, such as the famous "bottle" of the fifth book.

Old editions of Rabelais’s works dating from the early seventeenth century, notably those bearing Antwerp by Jean Fuet or faithful counterfeit/reissues of that period, are highly sought after.

Rare copy in a very decorative binding.