1732 Tales Of Eutrapel And Rustic Sayings By Noel Dufail

A rare and complete 3-volume set of Discourses of Some Rustic and Witty Remarks, and of the Tales and Discourses of Eutrapel, by Noël Du Fail, under the pseudonym Léon Ladulfi, a Breton gentleman.
1732 – no publisher. Original text from 1547, in Old French.

Regarding the edition of Rustic Remarks:
A very interesting edition established for the first time in 1547, 1549, then perhaps 1571. A pirated version of Rustic Remarks was interpolated in 1548 and 1554, the original text followed by a fragment with a title change in 1573 (probably with the author's collaboration?) to "The Tricks and Tricks of Ragot, formerly captain of the beggars of the inn and of his successors."

This 1732 edition reproduces the 1548 edition, with a compound title not found in any earlier edition.

Collation of the works:
Duodecimo format, however, the pagination is that of small octavo volumes (9 x 14 cm).
- Rustic Tales: Title Page + Preface (6 pp) + Epistle (14 pp) + 174 pages + Table at the end (2 pp). Pages 81-82 are abridged (Chapter VII).
- Tales and Discourses of Eutrapel: In two volumes.
Vol. 1: Title Page + Table (2 pp) + Sonnet (2 pp) + Epistle (6 pp) + 309 pages.
Vol. 2: Title Page + Table (2 pp) + 330 pages.

Paper slightly foxed, typical for the period.
Attractive tailpieces within the text. Full leather bindings. Rubbing to the boards, headcaps present, joints slightly split, corners bumped but sound (reference copies). Red morocco title pieces, gilt initials. Spine with blind-tooled gilt motifs.

The binding of *Propos Rustiques* differs from the two volumes of *Contes d'Eutrapel* (different libraries) in the motifs on the spine and is 3 millimeters higher. Sturdy stitching.
Easy to read and handle.

Bookplate on the first two pastedowns of *Contes d'Eutrapel*: Wood engraving.
Dimensions to the double fillet. Decomte crown. H: Sable, two silver chevrons with three trefoils of the same, 2 in 1. From M. Damours, residence on rue Ste Croix de la Bretonnière. Former library of the Councilor of the Court of Aids of Paris.

About the author:
Noël du Fail, Lord of La Hérissaye, was born in 1520 in Saint-Erblon (10 km south of Rennes) and died in 1591 in Rennes. He was a French jurist, magistrate, and writer. His work is known for being both entertaining and serious. It offers a glimpse into 16th-century rural society in Brittany. Noël Du Fail demonstrates his knowledge of the daily lives of the Bretons. His Tales and Discourses of Eutrapel (a made-up name derived from the Greek word for "mocking") feature three prominent citizens conversing in fables and lighthearted, entertaining stories, which serve as pretexts for reflecting on the rural Breton society of his time.