Le Grand Testament by Francois Villon, Circa 1850, 5 x 7.5”, 8vo

Poor condition/as is.  Front and rear boards are completely detached from binding.  Wear to boards with scuffed edges and bumped tips.  Spine shows wear, especially on raised bands, but is still legible and most gilt is intact.  Marbling on boards as well front and rear pastedowns and flyleafs.  Gilt on top fore edge.  Provenance on endpaper.  Toning, age-staining, and tea-staining throughout textblock.  Most pages show some level of tearing at fore edges.  Please see photos and ask any question prior to purchase.

Francois Villon (c. 1431 - after 1463) is the best known French poet of the Late Middle Ages.  He was involved in criminal behavior and had multiple encounters with law enforcement.  Villon wrote about some of these experiences in his poems.  Le Grand Testament is a collection of poetry composed in 1461, comprised of over 20 essentially independent poems in octosyllabic verse and consisting of a series of fixed-form poems, namely 16 ballades and three rondeaux.  Le Grand Testament is recognized as a gem of medieval literature.