Les fanfares et courvees abbadesques

8vo (150 x 93mm.), woodcut initials, engraved plate, nineteenth-century tan morocco by Trautz-Bauzonnet, covers elaborately gilt with a red morocco central quatrefoil onlay, spine gilt in compartments with morocco lettering-pieces, gilt turn-ins and edges, a few page numbers shaved

Academie des sciences, Lyon, stamp on title-page; Henry Arthur Johnstone, large morocco bookplate dated 1899

BL STC French 1601-1700, Add 3; Rép. bibl. xviie siècle, Chambéry 45 (listing 4 copies, of which 2 in BnF, one in BL and one in Petit Palais; Chambéry BM bought a copy in 2004)

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

rare first edition of a peculiar work, generally attributed to Jean Prévost, a Poitevin lawyer (the A of I.P.A. standing for "Alchimiste"), but it is now thought to be the work of several writers and published under the aegis of a confraternity of "bazochiens", for the entertainment of the people of Chambéry. One of the pieces, "Dialogue e rithme françoise et savoysienne", contains substantial sections in the Savoyard dialect.

This work gave its name to the style of binding known as "à la fanfare" (G.D. Hobson, Les reliures à la fanfare, second edition (Amsterdam, 1970), p.1), from a copy (now in the Petit Palais in Paris) bound by Thouvenin in imitation of a late-sixteenth century binding style.