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Description
[LITERATURE]
BILLAUT (Adam, Carpenter in Nevers):
Les Chevilles by Mr Adam, Carpenter of Nevers.
Paris. Published by Toussainct Quinet, 1644.
Large 4° format. Contemporary full brown sheepskin binding. Ribbed spine, decorated with gilt metal fittings. Covers edged with a double gilt border.
Small black ink stains in the upper corner of pages 270 to 315 (end of the volume).
A rare first edition of this famous collection compiled by France’s first working-class poet. Cioranescu 12191; Graesse I, 18; Brunet, I, 46;
This is the first collection published by Billaut, who until then had only authorised the printing of a few pamphlets.
The first 28 pages form a long epistle in verse addressed to the Viscount d’Arpajon. The 100 pages following the preface by the Abbé de Marolles contain 62 French poems by 53 authors and 7 poems in Greek, Latin, Italian and Spanish in praise of the author. Under the title ‘Approbation du Parnasse’, Saint-Amant, Scudéry, Scarron, Corneille, Colletet, Benserade, Boisrobert, Beys, Ragueneau, Desfontaines, Tristan l’Hermitte and Mademoiselle de Gournay bear witness to the considerable success of *Les Chevilles*. The second part contains Maître Adam’s epistles, stanzas, rondeaux, sonnets, epigrams, songs and elegies.
This work, along with *Le Vilebrequin* (1663, published posthumously) and *Le Rabot* (never published), is one of the three works composed by the humble carpenter from Nevers, Adam Billaut (1602–1662) remained a humble carpenter throughout his life, despite his connections in Paris and the patronage he found in the capital, within literary circles and amongst prominent figures (Marie-Louise de Gonzague, Condé, Richelieu). He is now regarded as the first French working-class poet.
Adam Billaut was born in Nevers in 1602. Little is known of his early life. A carpenter and poet, he was even the first in a great tradition of working-class poets that was to flourish particularly in the nineteenth century. He began with workshop verses, a ‘Muse of wood shavings’ who charmed princesses and academics alike and became the darling of Parisian salons. Introduced by Abbé Marolles to the bohemian literary world, this ‘Virgil of the plane’ was, above all, a court poet. He resisted the entreaties of his friends who wished to lure him to Paris. Billaut died in 1662.
*Les Chevilles de Maître Adam* was published in 1644 and met with great critical acclaim.
This edition contains the preface by Michel de Marolles, who had chanced upon him in the streets of Nevers, read his verses and regarded this carpenter as ‘one of the rarest things of the century ’. From then on, he was introduced to the great and the good and, as an object of curiosity, was sought after by the whole of high society. Billaut became the protégé of the Prince of Condé, received a pension from Richelieu and was admired by his peers; Corneille included him in a sonnet, Rotrou dedicated an epigram to him, whilst Scarron and Scudéry dedicated odes to him. The collection contains an ode to Cardinal Richelieu, who had taken him under his wing. Printed in italics and Roman type, occasionally Greek, with typographical embellishments.
A very complete copy, featuring on the frontispiece a magnificent portrait of the author in his carpentry workshop."
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About the sale
Bibliophilia – A fine selection of antique and modern books
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10/15/2026 at 1:00 PM
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