Histoire de la Ville de Paris – Michel Félibien – 1725 | First Edition | Enormous Tomes

Histoire de la Ville de Paris by Michel Félibien, first published in Paris in 1725, is an absolutely enormous history documenting Paris from antiquity through the early 18^th-century. Felibien, a noted historian, began work in the 17^th-century, but after his death, this incomplete work was continued and ultimately finished by Felibien’s editor, Guy-Alexis Lobineau.

Based on available public records, Ville de Paris details each of the most iconic subjects from Notre Dame Cathedral to the French Parliament, Paris architecture and royal events, and even an extensive discussion on the origins of the Hotel de Ville. It includes dozens of portraits of French royals including Louis XIV, Henry IV, and Charles VII. The large folding city map is included and is considered one of the best 18^th-century renderings of Paris.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Histoire de la Ville de Paris
• Author(s): Michel Félibien
• Illustrator(s):
• Contributor(s): Guy-Alexis Lobineau (Editor)
• Publisher: A Paris : chez Guillaume Desprez; Desessartz, 1715.
• Edition: First Edition, 1725
• Format: Folio (5 volumes)
• Binding: Full leather
• Size:  15.75 in x 10.5 in (40 cm x 26.5 cm)
• Collation: each volume separately paged
• Illustrations: 33 plates, most folding, plus folding map of Paris
• Contents Include:
  • glossary of medieval Latin
  • French Parliament
  • Notre Dame Cathedral
  • Hôtel de Ville origins
  • Hospitaux de Paris II
  • Royal and political figures: Louis XIII, Louis XIV, Louis XV, Charles VI, Charles VII, Henry III, Henry IV
  • England and France diplomatic history
• Provenance: Chartreuse de Sélignac (Ain)

Condition:

Bindings strong, leather with moderate rubbing, gilt spines intact, hinges sound. Plates and map well preserved with light age-toning at edges.

Why Collect This?

• First edition of the official history of Paris
• Huge folio format with extensive folding plates and city map
• Notable authorship by leading French Benedictine historians

Item Number: # 29186