(1549). TORY (Geofroy). L'ART ET SCIENCE DE LA VRAYE PROPORTION DES LETTRES ATTIQUES ou Antiques, autrement dictes, Romaines, selon le corps et le visaige humain... d'Avantage la manière d'ordonner la langue Françoise... le tout inventé, par Maistre Geoffroy Tory de Bourges. Paris, Vivant Gaultherot, 26 August 1549. In-8 of [16]-144 (misf. 136)-[24] leaves, covered vellum (contemporary binding). Second edition of Champfleury which reproduces exactly the text of the first. It was in this work, divided into 4 parts, that he proposed the use of apostrophes, accents and the cedilla. The first 3 parts deal with the shape of letters compared with the proportions of the body, "the most beautiful thing in the world" according to Tory; they are illustrated with a large number of woodcuts representing capital letters placed in human bodies. The fourth and last section contains a description of the reproduction of Hebrew, Greek, Latin and Chaldean alphabets, letters in bastard and fantastic shapes, flowery letters and interlaced numerals. A very rare book, Backer's copy did not have the last leaf, announced as being blank, but which in fact contains the "achevé d'imprimer". Brunet indicates 22 numbered leaves instead of 24. 2 leaves reproduced in facsimile (G8-R7), the copy is in good condition in its original binding. Handwritten motto from the 16th century "Non est mortale quod opto" on the last leaf and bookplate from the 18th century "Ce présent livre appartiens à Bouvet". (USTC 24307) (Mortimer French, n°526).