Bossuet - Oraison funèbre du grand Condé - 1687

First edition of the funeral oration by the great Condé, with handwritten marginal annotations by Jean d’Arenthon d’Alex (1620-1695), Prince-Bishop of Geneva, a contemporary of Bossuet.
Ref. Tchemerzine/Scheler I:858. Brunet I:1133. Le Petit 413-414. Rochebilière, 226.

Quarto 237x179 mm
à Paris, chez Sébastien Mabre-Cramoisy, 1687

Collation : [1f. blank]-[1 f. title]-[61 pp.]-[1 f. blank] - complete.
The blank sheets at the beginning and the end of the volume are not found in either Rochebilière or Tchémerzine. The initial sheet is requested by Le Petit, but not the final one. However they are not endpapers and these sheets appear to be nicely bound to the textblock, with the same laid paper and the same laidlines.

Full modern percaline binding, black title label, period marbled temporary covers preserved.

Illustrations: superb title fleuron by Sevin engraved by Vermeulen with the Condé coat of arms, headpiece by Paroset engraved by Roullet, tailpiece by an anonymous artist depicting the Condé coat of arms surrounded by a trophy of weapons and flags surmounted by a funerary urn. Everything intaglio engraved.

Condition: the title page, as is often the case, is cropped short on the base of the page, the justification being much larger than the body of the book. But d’Aranthay d’Alex’s handwritten commentaries were spared (the cropping is old if the handwritten note at the beginning of the book that gives a height of 237 mm for the copy in its marbled paper cover is to be believed).
Dampstains, stain on the last sheet, but the comments are quite readable.

You can come pick it up in Paris or it will be securely shipped via Colissimo.