An Illuminated Manuscript of La Somme le Roy by Laurent, a Dominican, attributed to the Parisian miniaturist Honoré; with an Introduction by Eric George Millar [ with a small archive of correspondence relating to the production of the book]

Printed for the Roxburghe Club, Oxford, first edition, 1953. Approximately 100 copies printed,of which 40 were reserved for members. Roxburghe maroon morocco spine and boards, top edge gilt, 4to, 39 cm, title printed in red and black,. 51 pp, 34 plates. Text in English with Old French "Directions for the illuminator" and illustrations including texts in Old French or Latin. With bibliographical footnotes. Barker: "... distinguished by its essay on the illuminator Honore in which the plates are a last testimonial to the skill of Wilfred Merton and Emery Walker Ltd". We include with this copy a small archive of correspondence relating to the production of the book from early estimates of cost to consideration of photography and paper and revised costings to the authority to the printers to break up the type, printing having been completed. The correspondence includes letters to Millar (with initialled copies of his replies) from the following: George Collon, Conservateur de la Biblioteque de la Ville de Tours; Carl Winter and Phyllis Giles (Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge); Albert Boeckler of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek; Jean Porcher of the Bibliotheque Nationale de France; Wilfred Merton of Emery Walker Limited; Charles Batey, printer to the University of Oxford (rather dismayed by the printing of the plates on machine-made paper when the text was on handmade paper); Sir John Murray (Roxburghe Club); Marryat Dobie, National Library of Scotland. Charles Clay's copy, his name red printed in the membership list, & with a few mss. notes in his hand loosely inserted [Charles T. Clay, sometime librarian to the House of Lords ]. Very Good.