La Mer des hystoires.

Accession number: 
PML 17593-94
Published: 
A Paris : par Pierre le Rouge imprimeur du Roy [for Vincent Commin], [1488-1489].
Description: 
[13] ii-iiC lvii [1]; i-iiC lxxi [37] leaves (with mistakes) : illustrations (woodcuts, maps) ; 41.5 cm (fol.)
Credit Line: 
Purchased by Pierpont Morgan, 1911.
Notes: 

Title from half-title page, part I, leaf [1]/1r: La mer des hystoires.
Imprint from first colophon, leaf hh9v: Ce premier volume fust acheue a paris par Pierre le Rouge imprimeur du Roy. Lan Mil iiijc iiijxx et viij. ou mois de Juillet. [Printer's mark]
Imprint from second colophon, part II, leaf ō8v: Ce present volume fust acheue ou mois de feurier pour Vincent co[m]min marchant demourant a lenseigne de la rose en la rue noeufue de Nostredame de paris. et i[m]prime par Maistre Pierre le Rouge libraire [et] Imprimeur de Roy Nostresire. Lan Mil.CCCC.iiijxx et viij. [Printer's mark]
In two parts, dated: I) July 1488; II) Feb. 1488/89.
Printed in Le Rouge's types 2:115G, 3:236G, and 4:64G.
Signatures: [1]⁴; ā⁸; a-z [et] aa-gg⁸ hh¹⁰; A-X AA-MM⁸ NN¹⁰; ²ā ē⁸ ī ō⁶ [long-s][long-s]⁸: 580 leaves, leaves hh10 and NN10 blank.
Paper format: Royal folio.
BMC and Sheppard describe a variant setting of quire a of part I.
Woodcuts and 2 maps.
PML copy leaf dimensions: 40.3 x 27.8 cm.
PML copy with part I, quire ā bound in part II.

Binding: 
18th-century French gilt-tooled red morocco (a collector's binding) over paper boards (41.5 x 30 cm), sewn on 6 supports. Blue paste paper pastedowns and endleaves, with plain paper endleaves; decorative, stuck-on endbands; gilt edges.
Variant Title: 

La mer des histoires

Inscriptions/Markings: 

Hand decoration: Contemporary French rubrication, alternating red and blue initials. Annotations: No significant marginal notations in text.

Provenance: 
Unidentified inscriptions, abraded: "Jehan de Pl[???]" (NN10v); Nicolas Moreau (1544?-1619), inscriptions: "Des Livres de Nicolas Moreau S[ieur] d'Auteuil 1576" (leaf [1]/1r) and "Ce present livre est a moy Moreau" (leaves hh9v and NN9r) with Moreau and unidentified inscriptions abraded (leaf A1r and 2v); Paris, Jesuits, inscription: "Collegij Paris. Soc. IESU" (leaf [1]/1r and A1r); Richard Heber (1773-1833), Bibliotheca Heberiana stamp (vol. 1, front endleaf 2 recto), Bibliotheca Heberiana sale, Sotheby's, part I, 10 April 1834, lot 4955, sold for £16.10.0; Robert Hoe (1839-1909), book label (front pastedowns), his sale, Anderson Auction Company, part I, 24 April 1911, lot 2272 to Quaritch (collation note on vol. 1, rear endleaf) for Morgan; Pierpont Morgan, purchased in May 1911.
Classification: 
Incunable Collection
Catalog Link: 
See more information »
Genres: 
Morocco bindings (Binding)
Gold tooled bindings (Binding)
Department: 
Printed Books