Boccaccio, Giovanni: De casibus virorum illustrium [French]. De la ruine des nobles hommes et femmes.

Translated by Laurent de Premierfait.

Bruges: Colard Mansion, 1476.
Fol. [1⁸ 2-9¹⁰ 10-11⁸ 12-16¹⁰ 17⁸ 18-19¹⁰ (-19/10) 20¹⁰ (-20/7) 21-22¹⁰ 23¹² 24-30¹⁰].  [292] leaves (1/7-8, 30/10 blank).
ISTC ib00711000;  GW 4432;  Goff B711;  BMC IX 132 (IC. 49402);  Bod-inc B-363;  CIBN B-509.

GIP number:	B77
Shelf-mark:	Sp Coll Hunterian Bg.1.11 (see main library entry for this item)
Note:	Stubs showing in this copy at 19/10 and 20/7;  BMC, GW, Polain(B), and Pellechet call for 10 leaves in quire 19 and 8 leaves in quire 20.
Note:	“Four states of this edition are distinguishable, corresponding to the introduction by successive stages of cancel leaves wherein the text is abbreviated in order to allow the introduction of engravings at the head of the prologue and of books ii-ix.” - BMC.  This copy represents the earliest state, in which the first page of the prologue 1/1r contains fifteen lines; the first pages of books ii-iv, vi-ix, seventeen lines, and the first page of book v, sixteen lines; and there is no printing in red.
Provenance:	Vincent du Mont (16th/17th century):  two inscriptions “Vincent du mont” on 20/2v (f. 183v). Jehan Feret(?) (16th/17th century):  partially read inscription “[Je]han Feret”(?) on 20/2v (f. 183v). Louis de Gand de Mérode de Montmorency, prince d’Isenghien (1678-1767), maréchal de France, commandeur de l’Ordre du Saint-Esprit:  arms in gilt on both covers - see J. Guigard, Nouvel armorial du bibliophile (Paris: 1890), vol. 2, p. 262;  lot 1973 in Catalogue des livres de Monsieur **** dont la vente se fera en détail le mardi 15 juin 1756 & jours suivans de relevée ... (Paris: Gabriel Martin, 1756). Louis Jean Gaignat (1697-1768), Secretary to King Louis XV:  Gaignat sale, 1769;  lot 3492 in Guillaume de Bure, Bibliographie instructive: supplément ... ou catalogue des livres de feu M. L.J. Gaignat, 2 vols (Paris: 1769). William Hunter (1718-1783), physician and anatomist:  purchased by Hunter at the Gaignat sale through his agent, Jean-Baptiste Dessain, for 24 livres;  see Dessain-Hunter correspondence (University of Glasgow Library, MS Gen. 36, f. 25v). University of Glasgow:  Hunterian bequest, 1807;  Hunterian Museum bookplate and book label on front pastedown, with former shelfmark “Y.5.13”. Note: Hunter apparently had a second copy of this edition, which he purchased as lot 1522 at the sale of Robert Hoblyn’s library for £5.17.6 according to the annotated BL copy of the sale catalogue Bibliotheca Hoblyniana ... (London: Baker & Leigh, 1778) - shelfmark S.C.S. 11(4);  it is no longer in the Hunterian Library.
Binding:	France, 18th-century calf;  oval armorial stamp of Louis de Gand de Mérode de Montmorency, prince d’Isenghien, in gilt on both covers;  gold-tooled spine;  red leather title labels;  marbled endpapers;  gilt-edged leaves;  pale blue silk bookmark;  front and rear flyleaves have watermark initials “T” and “A” with a heart-shaped design between the initials.  Size: 391 x 282 mm.
Leaf size:	380 x 274 mm.
Annotations:	Very occasional marginal annotations in French in a 17th-century hand;  possible name “Sacent” (beginning with elaborate calligraphic “S”) in a 16th/17th-century hand on 12/2r (f. 106r);  unidentified letter or symbol in red crayon on 30/10v (f. 292v).
Decoration:	On 1/1r a four-line initial “D” at the beginning of book I is supplied in red and blue with reserved white and further embellished with red and greyish-brown pen-work;  similarly decorated principal initials supplied at the beginning of books II-IX;  numerous smaller initials and paragraph marks supplied throughout in red;  many chapter headings underlined in red.
Imperfections:	None.