LAMESLE Epreuves Générales des Caractères qui se trouvent chez Claude Lamesle Fondeur de Caracteres d’Imprimerie

First edition of this precious work which “presents better than any other the production of types engravers in France in the last quarter of the 17^th century and the first half of the 18^th century” (Updike).

Audin, 27; Birrell and Garnett, 35; Bigmore and Wyman 1, p. 417; Cat. Berlin, 5394 ; F. Johnson, The Type Specimen of Claude Lamesle (1927); Jammes, Collection de specimen de caractères, n°19; D.B. Updike, I, p. 270: “This book, both in type and ornaments, I think presents better than any other, the output of French foundries during the last quarter of the XVII^th and the first half of the XVIII^th century. The collection of types is remarkably fine”. ‎

Rare first edition of these proofs of which there is a new issue published by Nicolas Gando in 1758.

Precious catalog of the typography in the 18th century which gives all the most elegant types melted from the previous century until 1742.

Lamesle, who had taken over Jean Cot’s foundry in 1737, thus came into possession of two types engraved by Grangeon in the 16^th century: the Cicero Gros Œuf n° XXXIV and the Petit Parangon n° LI. He also owned the Romain du Roi from the Imprimerie Royale of which Jean Cot’s son had made a surreptitious copy.

The types go hand in hand with initials and numerous ornaments.

Lamesle also owned Arabic, Hebrew and others intended for printing music.

The book thus presents 72 specimens of script types and 12 of music.

The double-pages are devoted to large types and to music. The title and the engraved music are printed in red and black.

Beautiful copy preserved in a nice contemporary binding, an exceptional condition for this kind of work.