3 - [BIBLIOPHILIA] - [VOISIN, Auguste]

[BIBLIOPHILIA] - [VOISIN, Auguste] "Bibliotheca Hulthemiana" Ghent, J. Poelman, 1836–1837, 6 volumes In-8°. Contemporary green glazed half-calf, signed "Canon" on the tail of the spine of the first volume, by a 19th-century Ghent master bookbinder. Spine with four raised bands decorated with gilt fillets. Title and volume number gilt. Untrimmed copy. Signs of wear and white spots here and there. Portrait of Charles van Hulthem as the frontispiece of the first volume (foxing spots). Interior fresh. First edition of this monumental catalog, which marks the founding of the Royal Library of Belgium. The famous collection of Charles Van Hulthem, comprising 31,686 printed works and 1,016 manuscripts acquired in their entirety by the State in 1836, forms the founding core of the institution. The text includes an extensive historical note on the collector written by Auguste Voisin. Copy on large-format paper: 1 of 15 EXTREMELY RARE copies of the unnumbered deluxe edition. From the prestigious collection of the Tournai scholar and magistrate Jean-Baptiste Brisard (1775–1848), in whose library the work remained until the sale of his estate in December 1849. The copy is accompanied by an autograph letter, pasted at the beginning of Volume 1, signed by the editor Auguste Voisin and addressed to Mr. Brisard, dated April 26, 1839, from Ghent, in which he expressly certifies the print run of 15 copies "on heavy paper," including this one. Provenance: From the library of Jean-Baptiste Brisard; from the library of Philippe Kervyn of Volkaersbeke (bookplate), acquired at the Brisard sale of 1849 (handwritten note). Included: “Catalog of Books from the Library of the Late Mr. de Bremmaecker, Largely Derived from That of Mr. Ch. Van Hulthem,” Ghent, Van der Meersch, 1845. 8vo. Nearly identical binding. Same provenance. An essential supplement to the Van Hulthem catalog, as de Bremmaecker was the heir who negotiated the sale of a large portion of his uncle’s library to the State. A SET OF REMARKABLE RARITY!