PONTIS (Louis de). Memoirs of Sieur de Pontis, who served in - Lot 236

PONTIS (Louis de). Memoirs of Sieur de Pontis, who served in the armed forces for fifty-six years under Kings Henry IV, Louis XIII, and Louis XIV. Compiled by Pierre Thomas du Fossé. Preface and notes by Robert Laulan. Paris, Henri Jonquières, “Les Hommes, les Faits et les Mœurs—Jadis et Naguère” series, 1929. In-8 format, 328 pages, illustrated with a portrait of Pontis on the frontispiece and 8 separate plates. Printing was completed on December 28, 1929, at the Imprimerie de Vaugirard. A bibliographic collation confirms the 328 pages and eight plates. Elegant binding in green half-maroquin with corner caps, a spine with four raised bands, two title labels in black maroquin, title and author’s name gilded, covers in marbled paper in shades of green, gilded head, original covers preserved. A modern binding that harmonizes particularly well with the edition’s covers. An edition prepared and annotated by Robert Laulan of the famous memoirs of Louis de Pontis (1583–1670), a French officer whose long military career spanned the reigns of Henry IV, Louis XIII, and Louis XIV. The text was written based on his recollections by Pierre Thomas du Fossé, who was close to the Port-Royal circle. These memoirs offer a particularly vivid account of 17th-century French military life and society: campaigns, sieges, court life, prominent figures, and political events are recounted through the experience of a soldier who served for more than half a century. A fine copy, very attractively bound. Some slight scuffing and signs of wear on the binding, particularly on the covers and the spines; the interior appears fresh based on the photographs. Spine faded.