LUYNES, GUIONNE JOSEPHINE ELISABETH DE MONTMORENCY LAVAL, DUCHESSE DE (1 résultats)

TYPESETTER, PRINTER, EDITOR, TRANSLATOR, WIFE, MOTHER AND PRIVATE LIBRARY CATALOGER. In October 1820, the duchesse de Luynes compiled this catalog of books in the nearly 1300-volume library of her only son, Charles Marie Paul André d'Albert, duc de Luynes et Chevreuse (1783-1839). THIS IS THE SOLE WITNESS OF HIS PERSONAL COLLECTION. After the death of his wife, Charles lived a solitary life with his mother at the Château de Dampierre. It was there that, in 1797, his mother began printing books for her family and immediate circle on her private press. She printed at least seventeen titles through 1803, each in a few examples. FIVE OF THESE EDITIONS FIGURE IN THE DUC'S LIBRARY, including his copy of the interlinear bilingual English-French Robinson Crusoe (1797) she translated to help him learn English and the Collection of Prayers for Before and After Confession (1800) for his private devotions. The duchesse records 430 titles in her son's collection, which he kept in his private apartment, separate from the large family library, established in the 17th century. She classified the books into theology, law, science and arts, literature, and history and then into thirty-two subsections. Each page has a running head and columns for the class, title, format and number of volumes. Bound volumes occupy the first 132 pages and books in wrappers pages 133-93. Entries occupy the rectos, the versos being reserved for additions. Some eighty percent of his library was literature or history. He owned works by Buffon and Franklin, the 1778 edition of Smith's Wealth of Nations, the La Vallière library catalog, novels by Ann Radcliffe, the Kehl Voltaire, manuscript devotionals on vellum, a now ?lost 1563 Parisian edition of Du Fouilloux's hunting book, Diderot's Encyclopédie in quarto. Many of the sewn books are early French romantic novels published between 1805 and 1820. He owned little theology and less law. In 2013, Sotheby's dispersed the Dampierre libraries. Those catalogs' prefaces discuss the collecting of the Charles' father and of Charles' son, but they omit any information on his own activity. In nice condition, pencil notes on two Dampierre imprints in the 2013 sale. For her private press, see Van der Haeghen's "L'Imprimerie ducale de Dampierre" in Le Livre (1885) 289-91 and Peignot's Répertoire des bibliographies spéciales, curieuses et instructives 49. Contemporary tan boards, gilt-lettered paper spine label (spine and hinges neatly restored).