Marquis de Louvois [Gatien de Sandras Courtilz)...

A great example of an entirely fabricated historical biography by the creator of d'Artagnan. LOUVOIS, Marquis de [SANDRAS, Courilz de) Testament Politique du Marquis de Louvois Premier ministre d'etat sous le regne de Louis XIV Cologne: Chez le Politique, 1695. Nice copy of this first edition forgery. Almost everything on the title page is false. The real author is the soldier turned author Coutilz de Sandras (1644-1712). The publication date of 1695 is accurate. The work is essentially fiction, written in a stately language and woven into a historical background. Full leather binding with small leather label and gilt title. A little rubbing and marking, but overall in very good condition. marking to the end papers from old tape. Frontis showing the grovelling marquis presenting his memoirs to the king. The real Louvois died before this work was written. [x], 576. pages. Final blank end paper has been removed. Usually ascribed to Gatien de Courtilz. cf. B.M. Woodbridge, Gatien de Courtilz, 1925, p. 207; Sources de l'hist. de France, XVIIe siècle (1610-1715) IV, p. 353. conforms to OCLC: 13682009. 160 by 100mm (6¼ by 4 inches). The author specialised in fictional biographies. His most famous work was the Mémoires de M. d'Artagnan which Dumas later used as a basis of the Three Musketeers.

Estimate:£232.4

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