Topographia antiquae Romae
First edition by François Rabelais, published in 1534 by Rabelais himself, partial source for Gargantua which would appear a few weeks later. (Rawles and Screech, Bibliographie Rabelaisienne, Geneva),
Only known copy, with large margins, preserved in its period binding signed "Jehan Norvins" sold for €25,000 on June 3, 2009.
Tawny calf, covers decorated with the famous cold-tooled plaque adorned with tassels, flowers, and gryphons signed in the time of Jehan Norvins, double cold-tooled fillet borders on the covers, spine with four raised bands decorated with cold-tooled fillets, 13th-century parchment linings, traces of ties, minimal old restorations to the headcaps and corners. Remarkable signed period binding identified by E. Ph. Goldschmidt. Pl. 49.
161 x 105 mm.
Rabelais, François. Marlianus, Joannes Bartholomaeus. Topographia antiquae Romae.
Seb. Gryphe, Lyon, 1534.
1 volume in-8 of 4 leaves, 313 pp. and 7 leaves. (Tchemerzine V, p. 322).
Bound afterwards: Melanchton, Philippe. M. Tulli ciceronis orationes.
Paris, Chrétien Wichel, 1534.
91 pp. (A-E8 F6).
First edition, extremely rare, of this description of ancient Rome published by François Rabelais, a partial source for Gargantua, containing the first edition of his famous 5-page letter addressed to Cardinal Jean Du Bellay and the only recorded copy preserved in its first contemporary signed binding.
This edition now makes it possible to date more precisely the first edition of Gargantua.
This Rabelaisian edition is precious and rare.
Deschamps, in the supplement to Brunet, writes: “Sought after because of Rabelais’s preface; M. Brunet does not cite any sale, In Capé morocco, 52 Francs GOLD, Taschereau.” That is, only a single copy recorded, in 19th century binding.
Tchemerzine does not cite any copy.
Brunet thus defines the interest of the edition: “This Lyon edition is of particular interest to us, because it contains a very curious preface. Rabelais expresses his gratitude to Jean du Bellay, under whose patronage he traveled through Italy and visited the marvels of Rome; he gives an account of the research he conducted in various fields in that country, and the reasons he had for reprinting Marliani’s work.”
Starting in 1532, François Rabelais (1483–1553) became editor of scholarly texts according to the principles of humanistic philology: the restitution of ancient texts subjected to critical examination.
“During the winter of 1513–1534, Rabelais accompanies Cardinal Jean du Bellay to Rome. There he is involved in botany and topography and, lacking his own topography of Rome, in 1534 he edits that of Marliani. In February 1535, he hastily leaves the Hôtel-Dieu of Lyon, presumably leaving under the presses of François Juste the ‘Gargantua’ of which he has only corrected the first gatherings. The only known copy of the first edition of this text lacks a title page, and so critics debate whether it was published in 1534 or 1535.”
Current research has revealed the influence of the “Topographia Antiquae Romae” on the first edition of Gargantua and thereby helped clarify its date.
Fine copies of this first Rabelaisian edition are extremely rare.
Admirable copy, large-margined (161 mm high), preserved in its first signed binding by Jehan Norvins.
Of this type of binding, only 11 specimens have been identified: Antwerp, Plantin Museum; Brussels, Royal Library; Denmark, Royal Library; France, Bergues-Saint-Winoc, Municipal Library; Paris, Bibliothèque Mazarine; Bibliothèque Nationale de France; Netherlands, Utrecht, University Library; was referenced by the British Library for an edition of Juvencus and Sedullius’s Historiae evangelicae, Cologne Paris, 1537/1531.
This binding has also been identified by E. Ph.Goldschmidt, pl. XLIX.
