[Michel de Montaigne] Les essais de Michel seigneur de Montaigne.

Edition nouvelle: enrichie d'annotations en marge, du nom des Autheurs citez, & de la version du Latin d'iceux. Corrigee et augmentee d'un tiers outre les premiers impressions: plus la vie de l'autheur. Extraicte de ses propre escrits. Paris, Charles Sevestre, 1617, (20),(64 index),1089,(1) p., late 19th-century halfcloth, 4to.

The preliminary pages probably lack the portrait and the half title and/or the frontispiece. Else a curious, refurbished copy, with all pages seemingly washed and pressed. Title page mounted and with reinforced margin; leaf Miii lacks a small strip in the top corner and 2 leaves have been entirely covered on one side with transparent foil to close small holes. Else inside good. This copy also contains a copy of the title page of the first edition from 1580, a lithographed portrait and 1 plate (all 19th century) and the book has been equipped with a new binding with no loss to margins (backstrip loose and front board tender). The care for this copy is understandable as it concerns an extremely rare, relatively early edition. We found only a copy by publisher Sevestre at the Bibliothèque Nationale De France (also the only copy in WorldCat), but the book was published in 1617 simultaneously with the same paging by several French publishers (e.g. by Rigaud, by Nivelle and by Gueffier). The book has been divided into 3 main parts: Livre Premier p. 1-267; Livre Second p. 268-675; Livre Troisiesme p. 676-987. Pages 989 (p. 988 is blank) and onward present translations of the Latin expressions in the book. Here the index has been bound before the main work. Important work within French renaissance literature.