an old book with a drawing of a man on a boat
ALDE

59 - LA CALPRENÈDE (Gautier de COSTE).
See original version (French)

Estimate €150 - €200
Sale commission
Description
LA CALPRENÈDE (Gautier de COSTE). Cléopâtre, dedicated to His Grace the Duke of Anguyen. Based on the copy printed in Paris. [Leiden, J. Sambix], 1648–1658. 12 volumes in-12, speckled brown calfskin, decorated spines, marbled edges (18th-century binding). 304 pp. (including the title folio, frontispiece title page and dedication) – 312 pp. (including the title page) – 352 pp. – 368 pp. – 336 pp. – 352 pp. – 380 pp. – 360 pp. – 336 pp. – 315 pp. – 362 pp. – 376 pp. Second edition of *La Cléopâtre*, published on the same dates as the first Paris edition by A. Courbé. Boileau mocked the works of the Gascon novelist La Calprenède. In 1648, La Calprenède married a young widow, the ‘précieuse’ Madeleine de Lyée. Enthusiastic about his novels, she had agreed to the marriage on condition that he complete *La Cléopâtre*, which he had left unfinished due to a dispute with the booksellers. The obligation to complete *La Cléopâtre* was even included in the marriage contract.  A copy formerly in the libraries of Le Chevalier de La Cressonnière, with bookplate, and subsequently A. G. du Plessis, with bookplate. The title page and the first folio of volume 2 are partially stuck together; old ink scribbles on the title page of volume 5. The title page and one leaf of volume 11 are damaged in the inner margin and torn. Lever 108 – Willems 633.
See original version (French)
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About the sale Xavier de Planhol Library – The Origins of the Novel
Auction location
Auction time 09/30/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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