La Ligurie Françoise

?Arles: ?François Mesnier, 1657. Contemporary gilt-ruled sheep (scuffed), spine and label gilt, edges sprinkled red. Bound with: L'Hermite, Jean-Baptiste, seigneur de Soliers.
 La Toscane Françoise. ?Arles, ?F. Mesnier 1657. Small folio. [ii blank], [ii], [147]p. TWENTY-TWO NEARLY FULL-PAGE ETCHED AND ENGRAVED ARMS of Tuscan noble families, etched and engraved title.

Ad I-II: Presentation copies, privately printed, early issues. L'Hermite (fl. 1639-70) composed regional biographies of Italian families closely tied to the French crown, trusting their assets equaled their vanity as he sought their patronage. For the present volume the target was the politically powerful branch of the Florentine Peruzzi family that had settled in Provence. The front flyleaf bears their bookplate and the pastedown L'Hermite's manuscript presentation dated 1657.
 Both volumes appear to be the earliest issues - Liguria with an achevée date of 30 June 1657 and Tuscany with the title dated 1657. In good condition (some slight browning).
¶The books were works in progress, and the following citations reflect various states: Saffroy, Bibliographie généalogique 33154-5; Répertoire bibliographique des livres imprimés en France au XVIIe siècle XIX: 261,63 & 262,64; Cioranescu 43401-43400.