Régis Chantelauze - Mémoires de Philippe de Commynes - 1881

This 1881 edition, revised by Régis Chantelauze, is based on a manuscript once owned by Diane de Poitiers and the Montmorency-Luxembourg family. It is a large and substantial volume of 789 pages, illustrated with four chromolithographs outside the text and numerous wood engravings within and outside the text, preserved in a carefully crafted half-red morocco binding with corner ornaments bearing the arms of the family of Commynes. The rich iconography and the quality of the edition make this copy a reference work for both history enthusiasts and bibliophiles.

The contents of the Memoirs cover major events and intrigues of the late Middle Ages, notably the war between the Duchy of Burgundy and the Kingdom of France, diplomatic missions in England, Brittany, and Spain, and the Italian campaigns. Commines focuses on describing 'the work' of power, its moral sufferings, and political intrigues ('brouilliz'), offering a perspective that is political, psychological, and even philosophical on this period.

Grand in-8, volume xiii, [1] frontispiece, 7898 pages, half-red morocco with corner tips, decorated spine with gold tooling, gilt edges, headband, and marbled boards with gold motifs.

Slightly rubbed binding, frayed edges and corners, inscription on the last page, other minor defects.

The Memoirs of Philippe de Commynes, edited by R. Chantelauze in 1881 at Firmin-Didot in Paris, are a valuable testimony of a 15th-century statesman and historian. Philippe de Commynes (circa 1447-1511) was an influential diplomat and advisor to Charles the Bold and then Louis XI. Born in Flanders, he lived through a pivotal period marked by dynastic struggles and political changes in Western Europe. His memoirs are considered one of the earliest examples of a modern historiographical style, blending political narrative with psychological analysis of those in power.