1576 Psalms: Davidis Psalmi: Argumentis, Orationibus, Et Annotationibus : Maiore Multo, Quam Antea, & Perspicuitate, & Brevitate Illustrati

Paris: Nicolas Chesneau. Good with no dust jacket. 1576. Leather. [32], 677, [27] pp. A lovely pocket-sized Psalter in the Vulgate with red margins and headings. In full leather with French gilt spine decorations in the compartments,red spine label, original silk page marker. Leather is scuffed and worn at the extremities, joints are cracking, spine label is missing "D" and "P", and spine cover is rubbed. Interior end papers have some darkening, embossed owner mark on first blank, some normal foxing but otherwise clean and unmarked. A bit fragile but still holding together. Quite scarce. "An edition of the Psalter [in the Latin Vulgate version], prepared by Pierre Viel ... Headlines, headings, initials etc. are printed in red ink. The Latin is accented. Each Psalm is preceded by an argument and followed by a prayer. The margins contain references and short notes." (D. & M.).Principal contents: p. [3]-[7], preface by Viel; p. [8]-[31], "Psalmorum index, et distributio pro ratione materiæ in eis potissimum explicatæ"; p. 1-404, Psalms; p. 405-677, hymns, etc.; p. [1]-[8], "Index Psalmorum ... iuxta foliorum numerum"; p. [9]-[20], indexes of hymns, etc.; p. [21]-[24], "Orationes perbreues"; p. [25]-26], colophon and errata."Acheue´ d'imprimer ... le 27 septembre, 1575"--Title-page verso. -- Colophon: "Absolutum Parisijs in ædibus Claudij Bruneual, impensis Nicol. Chesneau. 1575." M. Pierre Viel was a theologian at the University of Paris. Chesneau was the most important militant Catholic printer in France and probably the most powerful printer in Paris, active between 1556 and 1584. In the 1570s he pursued more scholarly works and used the Froben printer's device, although his firm had no connection with Froben. Chesneau was a major factor in the success of the Catholic Reformation at a time when Protestantism was gaining much ground. ; 16mo 6" - 7" tall; 677 pages .