LA SALE (Antoine de). La Salade, nouvelleme(n)t... Lot 41

LA SALE (Antoine de). La Salade, nouvelleme(n)t imprimee laquelle fait mension de tous les pays du monde Et du pays de la belle Sybille avec la figure pour aller au mont de la belle Sibille Et aussi la figure de la Mer & de la terre et plusieurs belles remonstrances. [Paris: veuve de Michel Le Noir, 1521] Colophon: imprimon en la rue sainct iacqs a le(n)seigne de la Rose blanche et fut acheve le dixhuiytiesme iour de ianvier. - Small folio, 254x180: (4 ff.), lxiii ff. ill-foliated lxxiii, 3 plates. [sig. ≅4 a-d6 e-f4 g6 h-i4 k6 l-n4]. Tan calf, succession of three frames on the boards, each composed of a roulette of cold filets, gilt irons on the outer corners of the two central frames, gilt fleuron in the center, ribbed spine (contemporary binding). Bechtel, L.54-L55. - Brunet, III, 854. - Tchémerzine, IV, pp. 59-61. Very rare editio princeps, printed in Gothic type on two columns. This is a didactic work by the storyteller Antoine de La Sale (1385?-1461?), who composed it for the education of the Duke of Anjou, whose tutor he was. As he indicates at the start of his text, the term "salade" (salad) used in the title means that he is proposing a mixture of writings that can be read independently of one another. The author writes: "(j'ai) faict ce petit livret que ie nomme La Salade Pource que en la Salade se met plusieurs bonnes herbes" (f. i verso). In this collection, he compiles a short treatise on the eight virtues useful to a prince, a selection of stories of stratagems drawn from ancient authors such as Valère-Maxime and Frontin, Paradise and an excursion to the Lipari Islands, two partly autobiographical texts, pages of geography, a genealogical tree of the House of Aragon, ceremonies and ordinances of King Philippe le Bel on the "battle pledge", books of ceremonial considerations, two of which are in Latin, etc. The work ends with a piece in monorimous verse. The importance of this book lies in the fact that it contains one of the earliest European texts to report on the northern regions of the globe, in this case Iceland and Greenland, "unknown to our astrologers because of their long, harsh winters". The edition is distinguished by its illustration, which consists of a large woodcut on the title divided into two compartments (Saint Louis at the Pope's feet and the royal army facing the Turkish army), and 33 other woodcuts in the text. The illustration on folio i4 recto is the same as that on the title. The engraving on the verso of folio l2 is identical to the one on the title of Antoine de La Sale's Lhystoire et plaisante cronicque du petit Jehan de saintre, published in 1517. In addition, there are numerous engraved initials and three fold-out plates showing respectively "le mont de la Sibille" and its surroundings, a world map, and the family tree of the House of Aragon in Latin, printed in red and black. The world map is most precious, as it is considered the first printed map to name the antipodes. It places a large sea at the South Pole (Mare Antipodes et Incognitum) instead of the usual sprawling continent. According to Laurence Claiborne Witten, bookseller at Yale, this map is derived from the lost manuscript of La Sale's work, for which Michel Le Noir, or more precisely his widow, had obtained the exclusive printing privilege in 1521. Its design and legends are those of a mid-15th-century world map such as Andrea Bianco's of 1436. This copy conforms in every respect to the one digitized on Gallica. The privilege is dated January 20, 1521, whereas Bechtel, Brunet and Tchémerzine indicate January 22. This edition can be found either with the present title or with the one addressed to Philippe Le Noir. In the latter case, the full-page engraving is on the verso. Copy in a slightly later binding, produced around 1550. Copy washed and rebound. Covers torn off, some wear rubbing and stains on boards. Corners slightly dulled. The flyleaves have been renewed with old paper covered with handwritten notes that have been erased. Several leaves (around 15) have been restored in the margins, notably the last 9. The restorations sometimes reach the text, but missing words and letters have been restored. A few stains and wormholes on the last few leaves.