John Palsgrave | L'Esclaircissement de la Langue Francoyse, 1530, the first French grammar and the first French-English dictionary

John Palsgrave

L'esclarcissement de la langue francoyse. London: Richard Pynson, finished by John Haukyns, 18 July 1530

FIRST EDITION, folio (276 x 189 mm), gothic and roman type, woodcut initials, rebacked retaining contemporary blind-stamped calf upper board with remains of clasp, spine with raised bands, red morocco gilt lettering piece, title-page in facsimile, lacking a total of 33 leaves, comprising: A⁶ B⁴ D² E⁶ K¹ 2U¹ 3I¹ Z6 λ⁶, the following leaves present but apparently inserted from another copy: 2P1-2S6, 2U1-3E6, B1-D6, 3H1-3Z6, and Q1-Y6, spine and lower board renewed

John Palsgrave (d. 1554) was tutor to Princess Mary, the sister of Henry VIII. His appointment did not survive her marriage to Louis XII of France, but he was known to Thomas More (and Erasmus, whom he met in Louvain in 1516), and through More became tutor to Henry VIII's illegitimate son Henry Fitzroy; he also taught the sons of Thomas Cromwell and the Duke of Norfolk.

THE FIRST FRENCH GRAMMAR AND THE FIRST FRENCH-ENGLISH DICTIONARY. "The comprehensiveness of the volume - both the grammar and the lexicon of French are meticulously described - makes it a unique treasure trove for the beginnings of French lexicology, lexicography, and grammar writing" (Gabriele Stein, ODNB). The text is helpfully presented with black letter type for the English words and roman for the French, for ease of use.

We can trace only one other copy sold at auction in the past 50 years.

PROVENANCE:

Harvey Hastinges: contemporary ownership inscription to O4v; Alan Lubbock: bookplate

LITERATURE:

STC 19166