DE SAILLANS Gaspar Premier livre. Le contenu duquel, & des deux autres qui s’en suivront se trouvera cy derrière.

Baudrier, I, 229-230 ; Brunet, V, 31. Not in Gay-Lemonnyer.

First and sole edition.

The Premier Livre is also the only work printed by Jacques de La Planche listed by Baudrier.

Printed with great care, all pages are surrounded by typographical decoration.

Little is known about the life of Gaspar de Saillans, except that he was a “citizen of Valence in Dauphiné.” The title of this edition is adorned with the author’s coat of arms, surrounded by the motto “May God’s peace dwell in this house in every season.”

The work is divided into three parts, each consisting of three chapters. The three parts of the First Book contain a curious correspondence between Gaspar de Saillans and the family of Louise Bourges, concerning his marriage to the latter, then, after the marriage, between Louise de Bourges and her husband. Page 160 contains the anagrams of Gaspar de Saillans [De Grans Pas Asally], Loyse de Bourges [Sobs Gloire Deue], and Jehan Françoys de Saillans, his son [Soy Franc, Dellaise Haynne].

Baudrier indicates that Gaspar de Saillans composed this book in honor of the birth of his son Françoys.

Of this extremely rare edition, USTC has located only four institutional copies, three in France and one in the United States (Harvard, Houghton Library).

A very fine copy, slightly short on the outer margin.