Crinito, De honesta disciplina, Lyon, 1585, contemporary French ivory vellum gilt with monogram HLMPS

16mo (120 x 72 mm). Roman and italic type, 28 lines plus headline. collation: a-z⁸ A-Z⁸ Aa-Hh⁵: 429 leaves (only, of 434; lacking Hh6–8 and Ii1–2). Woodcut printer’s device on title, lightly ruled in red throughout. (Leaves evenly browned, lacks last 5 leaves.)

binding: Contemporary French ivory vellum (124 x 84 mm), gilt tooling, 3 gilt fillets around sides, intersecting lozenge in centre containing a laurel wreath around monogram HLMPS, above and below and in outer interstices a gilt marguerite, monogram repeated at corners, flat spine with semé of triple flame, 4 false bands formed by gilt fillets, gilt title lettered up spine, stubs from 2 pairs of ties, edges gilt. (Light staining to head of spine, later endbands, endpapers renewed.)

provenance: ?H.L.M.P.S., monogram on covers—Librairie Théophile Belin, Paris 1912, item 17; 1914, item 107 and plate 89—René Boisgirard & Librairie Giraud-Badin, Paris, 30 October 1934, lot 32—Laure Eugénie (née Pillet) Belin, her sale, René Boisgirard & Louis Giraud-Badin with Charles Bosse, Paris, 19-20 February 1936, lot 49—Henri Burton (1896-1968)—Christie's, New York, 22 April 1994, lot 94 (part lot). acquisition: Purchased at the preceding sale. references: Adams, C-2956; USTC 142208; von Gültlingen XIV: Gryphe 247; GLN 3107