Traicté Conformité Langage François Grec by Estienne Henri Monument 16th Century (1 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. 8vo. [18]f + 171p. Roman & Greek letter. With decorative woodcut head-pieces and ornamental initials. Old vellum, title in brown ink on spine. An early edition of this classic on comparative language, first published clandestinely at Geneva in 1565. Henri Estienne's first work in French, it represents the first piece in his trilogy on the French language, in which he claims superiority for his native tongue over all others, excepting only Greek which he says is the most perfect and which French most closely resembles. His French prose is generally regarded as some of the finest of the Renaissance period; according to Charles Nodier he was 'le premier et le plus national de nos prosateurs du seizième siècle, après Rabelais et Montaigne'. With art nouveau bookplate of Marcel Schlimovich inside front and back cover. Renouard 171.4.