[Parisian 15th-century printing offices] "Le mirifique Thrésor des Imprimeurs de Paris

colligé ès Abbayes par R. 1840-1890". Collection of hundreds of mostly woodcut (series of) illustrations, (historiated) initials, alphabets, (letterpress) clippings, complete lvs., title pages, printer's marks, ornaments etc., mostly dating from the 16th century, partly coloured, mounted or tipped onto 122 stiff paper lvs. numbered I-CXIV and a few unnumbered lvs., with manuscript annotations and dates, bound in very attractive re-used German richly blindstamped pigskin over bevelled wooden sides, dating from around 1500, with manuscript mor. letterpiece "Typographie Parisienne" on spine, folio.

Binding with a few small defects, lacks clasps and catches. A magnificent and unique collection of printed specimens, the ones on the numbered lvs. almost all from works from the (first half of the) 15th century (a few earlier). Also includes a few manuscript specimens, or lvs. with intriguing owner's entries. Provenance: Vente Hotel Drouot 18 April 1975, lot 27 (catalogue loosely inserted), with the following note: "Très important recueil, formé de 1840 à 1890, contenant un nombre immense de lettres majuscules, bordures, bandeaux, fleurons, vignette sur bois, feuillets de titre et d'explicit, marques d'imprimeurs, gravés sur bois ou en taille-douce, quelques vignettes populaires, vignettes révolutionnaires, etc. du XVe siècle à la Révolution. Citons, parmi les choses les plus curieuses, les alphabets d'initiales de Josse Bade, Jean Petit, Robert Estienne et de Geofroy Tory (...)."