LA TOUR D’ALBENAS François Bérenger de L’Amie Rustique et autres vers divers. [Et :] L’Amie des Amies, imitation d’Arioste, divisée en quatre livres.

Baudrier, Bibliographie lyonnaise, II, pp. 57-59 ; Carter & Vervliet, Civilité Types, n° 8 ; Balsamo, Les Traductions de l’italien en français au XVIe siècle, 2009, p. 93.

Both work are first editions printed by Robert Granjon (1513-1590) in the so-called Civilité type, published one year after the first use of this newly designed invented French type face, (the first title was Dialogue de la vie et la mort, 1557).

« Vraisemblablement fils du libraire parisien Jean Granjon dont il reprend au début l’adresse et l’enseigne. S’établit à Paris en mars 1545. Fait à partir de 1547 de fréquents séjours à Lyon où plusieurs imprimeurs dont Jean I de Tournes lui achètent ses poinçons. Établi à Lyon de 1556 (peut-être dès 1551) à 1562. Gendre du peintre lyonnais Bernard Salomon. Créateur à Lyon des caractères dits de civilité ou “lettres françoises”, dont il obtient le privilège royal pour 10 ans en déc. 1557 » (BnF).

The two books by Bérenger de la Tour d’Albenas form a diptych: they both begin with a long love play and are followed by translations or imitations of Italian poets (Ariosto, Folengo).

L’Amie rustique is divided into four eglogues. The poem is followed by Songs, a Song of Virtue and Fortune, Funeral Songs, Epitaphs, an Epistle (in prose) to M. de Rochecolombe, and the Naséide, restored in its entirety, dedicated to ‘Alcofribas, Indien, roy de Nasée’.

L’Amie des Amies contains the episode of Isabelle and Zerbin, taken from the XXIVth canto of Ariosto’s Roland furieux, and set in French verse of ten syllables. Bérenger de La Tour has appended various poems, including the first book of the Moschéide, or the Combat des Mouches et des Fourmis, taken from the Moschea, a Macaronic poem by Folengo.

Well represented in French institutional libraries USTC located very few copies of each title outside of France. Of Ami rustique he locates 8 copies in France and only 6 in th rest of the world including one single copy in the United States (Germany: 1 ; Netherlands: 1 ; United Kingdom: 3 ; United States: Houghton : 1). Of L’Amie des Amies USTC locates 8 copies in France, and just 4 in the rest of the world, including one single copy in the United States (United Kingdom: 3 ; United States: Princeton : 1).

Fine copy, well established by Antoine Bauzonnet ; the date of th binding is given in red ink : 19 December 1838.

Provenance : baron Pichon (sale 1869, n°528 : « Très bel exemplaire provenant de la bibliothèque de l’abbé Barré, curé de Monville, près de Rouen » Last vicar in Rouen of Church Saint-Eloi, à Rouen, Barré became a bookseller in the harbour of that town) – R.-S. Turner (book plate, sale 1878, lot 294) – Étienne-Marie Bancel (book plate, sale 1882, lot 281) – Eugène-Gabriel Marigues de Champ-Repus (book plate, sale 1893) ; Gustave Herpin (sale 1903, lot 72) –  Marcel Bénard (sale 1925) – Abel Lefranc (sale 1954) – Marcel Lecomte (book plate); the copy described in the Rothschild catalogue (I, n°662) also bound in citron morcco, berars the name of both binders Trautz-Bauzonnet, but also belonged to R.-S. Turner.