Browse Items (91 total)
- Collection: Livres rares
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Almanach Royal
EnglishWho is hiding within the lines of these two portraits in pencil done by an unknown hand? Another caricature is to be found on the verso of the endpaper. While we today might not dream about doodling on the endpapers of an 18th century book,…
Le Nouveau Testament de Nostre Seigneur Jesus Christ, traduit en François selon l'edition Vulgate, avec les differences du Grec
English
This book offers a typical example of the classic formula of “promise” and “reward” that one regularly finds in books of the 15th and 16th centuries. The phrasing varies as per the personality and humour of the owner and how much value he…
Recueil des opéra, des balets, & des plus belles pièces en musique, qui ont été représentées depuis dix ou douze ans jusques à présent devant Sa Majesté Tres-Ché́tienne, suivant la copie de Paris
EnglishIn this work and in others, we see very fine lines in red that delineate different spaces on the page for the printed text. This work carries over the medieval practice used by manuscript copyists, that is, the ruling of spaces in the text in…
Réglement de la Confrerie de l'adoration perpétuelle du S. Sacrement, et de la bonne mort : erigée dans l'eglise paroissiale de Ville-Marie, en l'Isle de Montréal en Canada
EnglishPublished by Fleury Mesplet (1734-1794), this physically tiny work would be the first work printed by Mesplet after his arrival in Montréal in 1776. After leaving Lyon for Avignon, London and Philadelphia, Mesplet settled in Montréal on the…
Père Marquette's Illinois prayer book
English Here we see yet another type of decorative paper, probably achieved through a mechanized process. The design of flowers with tendrils of gold is reminiscent of wrapping paper for gifts or even wallpaper, which is of no surprise, as these…
Valerii Maximi dictorum factorum q. memorabilium exempla : adiecto indice propriorum nominum, rerumque memoria dignarum locupletissimo
EnglishSebastian Gryphius (1492-1556) was a German printer (born Greif, in Reutlingen), although he would establish himself in Lyon, France for the bulk of his career. Chiefly printing the works of classical Latin authors, Gyphius published the works…
La Bulle d'Or, suivie De la Sanction Pragmatique et Loi perpétuelle
EnglishIn the 20th century, in addition to the pasted-in ex-libris bookplate, we find many different styles and formats of ex-libris indications. The stamped ex-libris turns out to be not only a less onerous form but also one that is much more…
Almanach nécessaire, ou, Porte-feuille de tous les jours
EnglishLike their modern cousins still available today, almanacs contained information necessary for the carrying out of many aspects of everyday life. Their biggest asset was their portability. The item held by Archives and Special Collections is in…
Sauuage de Fontenailles en Brie, o additionnées, selon les modernes historiens, iusques à cest an mil cinq cens cinquante & sept.
EnglishWe see here not one but two ex-libris on the front endpaper. The second owner (or another person entirely) has scraped out the name of his predecessor, which was located below a coat of arms surrounded by the following motto: “Mallem Mori Quam…
Les coustumes generales du conte d'Arthois decretees : auec celles de l'escheui-nage d'Arras, bailliages de S. Omer, Bethune, Aire, Lens, Bappalmes, Hesdin, […] & du bailliage de Lillers […]
EnglishAnother example of parchment on cardboard, this binding is on exhibit to show the leather ties that were used to keep the book closed when not in use. Due to the fragility of the leather used to make ties, it is rare that they survive the…