Alain CHARTIER. Les fais maistre alain charetier. 2 parts in one in-folio volume, granite calf with arms in center of boards, 5-ribbed spine with repeated numeral ( 17th century binding). Bechtel, 136/C-271 // BMC, VIII-142 // Brunet, I-1812 // CIBN, I-C-269 // Delisle, Chantilly, 415 // Macfarlane 109 // Olivier, pl. 1706 // Tchemerzine-Scheler, II-281 // USTC, 71014. I. (66f.) / a-b8, c6, d8, e-k6 (the last blank) / II. (68f.), A-B8, C6, D8, E6, F8, G-K6 / 40 lines in 2 columns, gothic car / 188 x 260 mm. Very rare third edition of Alain Chartier's works. The bibliographies only refer to a single earlier edition dated 1489, but the Catalogue des Incunables of the Bibliothèque Nationale describes a second, said to have been published around 1494. French writer Alain Chartier was born in the Bayeux region around 1385. Of noble origin, he studied at the University of Paris. He was a clerk, notary and secretary to the House of Charles VII. A political writer, moralist and poet, he was entrusted with various diplomatic missions, including negotiating the marriage of four-year-old Marguerite of Scotland to the future Louis XI in 1428. Some claim that he was Archdeacon of Paris or a member of the Paris Parliament, although this is not certain, but he was highly regarded at Court. He was the author of moral, patriotic and poetic works, all of which reflect his noble and great soul, a heart full of religious faith and love for his country (Larousse). The edition consists of two parts: the first contains the prose works, Le Curial, Le Quadrilogue invectif, La genealogie de l'extraction des roys, La declaration de la ditte genealogie... and the second the poetic works such as La Belle dame sans mercy, La Pastourelle de Gransson, Le Breviaire des nobles, Le Debat de resveillematin, laments, ballads... The edition is illustrated with a large grotesque on the title of Volume I, a large woodcut on the verso of the title depicting in the upper part a group of five official figures, in the middle part the clerk's office, the prosecutor, the receiver and students in the lower section. On folio a2 a large woodcut showing a man lying on a bed, a woman and a man beside the bed, this woodcut repeated on the first folio of the second part, and finally a genealogical table of the kings of France on the last folio of the first part. The volume bears Vérard's mark on the last leaf. This edition is described by Bechtel, who dates it, probably incorrectly, to 1490. Our copy conforms in all respects (text, illustrations, colophon) to the description given by Macfarlane (no. 109): the first leaf of the first part presents a large grotesque reproduced by him (no. 9) with the title Les fais maistre alain Chartier on a single line, a presentation different from that given by Tchemerzine, who reproduces another grotesque with the title on 3 lines. The library of the Château de Chantilly owns two copies of this edition, one on vellum and the other on ordinary paper. In Léopold Delisle's lengthy note on these two works in Le Cabinet imprimés antérieurs au milieu XVIe siècle, he points out the differences between the two copies. Le Cabinet des livres imprimés antérieurs au milieu du XVIe siècle, he points out the differences between the two copies, specifying that the vellum copy must certainly have been printed before the paper copy, the latter having undergone several corrections. Our copy has all (but one) of the first printing remarks noted in the Chantilly catalog, whether in terms of text, illustration or colophon. Only the title differs completely from the Chantilly copy, but this is the title described by Macfarlane, and we believe it must have been printed before the one reproduced by Tchemerzine, with later editions using the latter. Delisle then indicates that the BnF owns two copies, one on paper in first condition and the other on vellum in second condition, that the Bibliothèque Mazarine's copy is in second condition and that of the British Museum is in first condition. The present copy is one of the very few with numerous remarks from the first state. A copy bearing the coat of arms of Jean Du Bouchet (1599-1684), King's Counselor in his Councils, Master of the King's Ordinary Hotel, historiographer and first constable of France, knighted in Saint-Michel in 1637. The spine of the binding bears a repeated number which, although we cannot be certain, must be that of Jean Du Bouchet. The spine also bears a small inscription PARIS added later. Binding