33 - [HISTORY & LAW - GHENT] - DIERICX, Charles-Louis (Knight)

[HISTORY & LAW - GHENT] - DIERICX, Charles-Louis (Knight) Set of 3 major monographs and diplomatic collections in 4 volumes and 1 rare bound pamphlet, in uniform binding (scattered scuffing and foxing): - "Memoirs on the Ancient Laws, Customs, and Privileges of the City of Ghent" Ghent, Printed by P.F. de Goesin-Verhaeghe, 1817–1818, 2 volumes. In-8°. First edition of this seminal legal study. In it, Chevalier Diericx, a Ghent magistrate and scholar, analyzes the evolution of customary law, the structures of the municipal judiciary, and the ancient privileges granted and subsequently confiscated in the wake of urban uprisings. References: National Bibliography of Belgium, I, 584; Lammens, Bibliotheca Law, II, 1429. - “Memoirs on the City of Ghent” [Volume II and Unpublished Proofs] Ghent, Printed by P.F. de Goesin-Verhaeghe, 1815. In-8°. Our lot includes the complete second volume (1815), as well as a rare bound booklet of 53 printed sheets containing proofs for this second volume, which were rejected and corrected by the author prior to the final printing. This first-rate bibliophilic document, of exceptional rarity, offers direct and first-hand insight into the development of this great local historiographical epic, revealing the textual variations, stylistic corrections, and deletions made by Diericx’s publisher just before publication. Includes an article by Philippe Kervyn of Volkaersbeke published in *Les Bibliophiles belges* and copies of handwritten letters regarding the deleted folios in which the author vigorously attacked his enemy, the parish priest of Bast. References: National Bibliography of Belgium, I, 582. - “Het Gends Charter-boekje, or Collection of Old Charters, the majority of which concern agriculture and the administration of the demesne lands of the Abbots of the monasteries of St. Peter and St. Baefs, both of which are situated near Gend, juxta Gandavum...” Gend, A. B. Stéven, 1821. In-8°. First edition, in Dutch and Latin, of this valuable portable cartulary. It brings together the agrarian, land, and manorial charters of the powerful Ghent abbeys of St. Peter and St. Bavo, constituting an essential primary source for the rural and economic history of Flanders. References: Bibliotheca Belgica, D-145; Catalog of Ghent Charters, p. 302. An exceptional thematic collection by Knight Diericx, forming the most sought-after historical, legislative, and diplomatic compendium on the municipal republic of Ghent, uniquely enriched by this one-of-a-kind editorial archival item consisting of the 53 folios of corrected proofs from the second volume. Provenance: from the Library of Philippe Kervyn of Volkaersbeke (ex-libris)