Les mondes, célestes, terrestres et infernaux. Le monde petit, grand, imaginé, meslé, risible, des sages et fols, et le trèsgrand. L'enfer des escoliers, des mal mariez, des putains & russians, des soldats & capitaines poltrons, des pietres docteurs, des usuriers, des poëtes & compositeurs ignorans.

8vo: [16]-464-[8] pp.

18th-c. marbled sheep, gilt orn. spine with raised bands, red edges (joints splitting, head & tail def., upper corners bumped, upper margins a bit cut, sometimes shaving the running titles).

First French translation by Gabriel Chappuys of the first Italian utopian novel (1st ed.: 1562). It is inspired by Thomas More's Utopia of which the publisher and scholar Doni (1513-1574) published the first Italian edition in 1548. Illustrated with 14 woodcut medallions in text. Ornamental initials. Printer's mark on title and reverse of last leaf.
Ref. Baudrier IV:136. - Adams D-829. - STC French p. 139. - Caillet 3198 ("livre rare et singulier, qui se cote assez haut dans les ventes publiques. Les gravures sur bois, en forme de médaillon, sont très intéressantes"). - Cp. Biblioth. Esot 1323 (ed. 1583)
Prov. "Grand séminaire St-Charles d'Avignon" (stamp). - Ms. ownership entry from 1810. - Lucien Gauvin 1924 (id.).