[LABE (Louise)]. Evvres de Lovïze Labé Lionnoize. Lyon, Dura - Lot 169

[LABE (Louise)]. Evvres de Lovïze Labé Lionnoize. Lyon, Durand et Perrin, 1824. in-8 [13.5 x 21 cm], of LXX pp., (1) f., 526 pp., (1) f., full black chagrin, 4 ribbed spine, double cold fillet in the compartments, gilt title, triple cold framing on the boards, all edges gilt, inner cold lace. A rare and precious edition, completed on July 20, 1824, and "published at the expense of a Society of literary people of Lyon", whose 42 members and subscribers [most of them from the Lyon Academy] are listed on the last leaf ["liste des personnes qui ont fait les frais de cette édition, et entre lesquelles les exemplaires ont été partagés"]. First critical edition of Louise Labé's works published by Claude Breghot Du Lut. Unlike the 1864 edition [Perrin's second], this edition has nothing to do with the august characters, which only appeared ten years later. But the interest of this edition lies in the richness of the abundant notes by Cochard and Breghot du Lut [they run from pages 155 to 236], who have competed in erudition to clarify the context of these OEuvres, adding a "Dialogue entre Sappho et Louise Labé", a note on Louise Labé and a very curious glossary, which ends the volume and has not been reproduced in any other edition, An exceptional copy, one of the few on fine wove paper, enriched with an autograph letter dated February 5, 1825 signed by Claude Bréghot du Lut, in response to Labouïsse's proposal to prepare a new edition in concert with him. Bréghot's response is very "diplomatic" in the face of a rather cavalier request only one year after the publication of this 1824 edition. At the bottom of the verso of this letter, L.-R. added: "1846 : jusqu'à présent cette réimpression n'a pas été faite".