Rosset, François de
Histoire des amants volages,
1619.

Description

Very rare second edition of the Amants volages by François Rosset
in contemporary overlapping vellum.

This novel, Rosset’s rarest, remained unknown to Brunet
who mentions and describes the other works by this talented author.

Rosset, François de. Histoires des amans volages de ce temps. Ou sous des noms empruntés, sont contenus les Amours de plusieurs Princes, Seigneurs, Gentils-hommes, et autres personnes de marque, qui ont trompé leurs maitresses, ou qui ont été trompés d’elles. Dédiées au Roy.
Paris, chez la veuve Jacques du Clou, et Denis Moreau, 1619.

8vo [173 x 105 mm] of (6) ll., 642 pp., (1) l.

Overlapping vellum, handwritten title on spine, sprinkled edges. Contemporary binding.

Very rare second edition of L’Histoire des Amans volages by François Rosset (1579-après 1630), the writer who “united l’Astrée and l’Amadis”.

La Chèvre, Les Recueils collectifs de poésies libres et satiriques, XIII p. 342 ; Catalogue James de Rothschild, II, n°1723 ; J. Gay, p.355.

This novel, Rosset’s rarest, remained unknown to Brunet who mentions and describes the other works of this talented author.

“The liminary leaves include the title, finely engraved and surrounded with pretty subjects, an epistle and the Table.

The privilege, dated July 31^st 1616, is given for ten years to “Françoise Getard, veuve de feu Jacques Duclou, vivant, fondeur, imprimeur et libraire à Paris et Anthoine Vitré, aussi libraire à Paris”. By an act dated July 4^th 1618, Vitré yielded his rights to the “veuve Duclou et autres qu’il plaira à ladite veuve”.

Pierre Boaistuau had started a trend of singular stories, first with his translation of Bandello (1559), and then with his own Histoires prodigieuses ; his follower, François de Belleforest, exploited this trend. The works of Jean de Marconville, Jean Chassanion, Simon Goulard and P. Boitel showed that the public’s taste was stable. François de Rosset’s Histoires volages is made up of twelve stories; they are inspired by L’Astrée ; but, judging from the title, they contain some truths. It seems that all of the critics have tried to penetrate the mystery surrounding these stories.” (Catalogue James de Rothschild)

A noble from Provence, born around 1579, François Rosset, a Protestant poet and novelist, converted to Catholicism.

After a trip to Italy and two poetic editions, we find him in Paris.

He mastered Latin and Spanish and wrote a version of Don Quixote and the Nouvelles by Cervantès, of the Roland amoureux and the Roland furieux.

But it was mostly his Histoire des amans volages and his Histoires tragiques which made him a best-selling author.

Best-seller of the Ancien régime, this novel will never cease to be re-edited, assorted with new pieces, making up more than 40 editions up until 1757. Drawing from recent and bloody facts, Rosset takes up a genre in vogue in Italian Renaissance to create a romanesque noir that will become one of the ancestors of 19^th century fantastique literature.

A very attractive copy, with wide margins, preserved in its beautiful contemporary overlapping vellum.

Provenance : From the libraries of James Scot with the date 1625 and several handwritten ex-libris and Boillaud, with the date of 1673 and handwritten ex-libris.

Only 3 copies listed in the international public institutions: Bibliothèque de Nîmes, Bnf and Ohio State University (incomplete copy).