L'ESTOILE (Pierre). Journal de Henri III ou Mémoires pour servir à l'Histoire de France. The Hague and Paris, Gandouin, 1744; 5 vols. - Journal du règne de Henry IV. The Hague, Vaillant, 1741; 4 vols. Together 9 volumes in-12 (168 x 104 mm), red morocco, ribbed spines decorated with gilt fleurons, fillets on covers, gilt edges and int. dent. (Period bindings). EXTRAORDINARY RECORD, written day by day, of the events that shook Paris - and France - under Henry III and Henry IV. Curious about everything, his eyes and ears constantly alert, L'Estoile captures the electric atmosphere of the capital, records gossip, rumours and news, stigmatises the behaviour of the king and the grandees, reports scandals, the misery of the people, food shortages, excesses of all kinds - and accumulates with a collector's passion everything that appears, books, prints, songs, pamphlets... THE BEST EDITION OF EACH JOURNAL, given by Lenglet-Dufresnoy, accompanied by piquant notes, curious pieces - including l'Isle des Hermaphrodites - and pamphlets. Portraits of Henri III and Henri IV and 4 plates. VERY RARE EXAMPLE CONTAINING THE TEXT OF THE JOURNAL OF HENRI III IN ITS FIRST CONDITION, BEFORE THE CARDBOARDS placed by the publisher to soften the too pungent notes AND WITH ALL THE CARDBOARDS bound at the end of the volumes. It is absolutely consistent with the Rothschild copy, i.e. containing 6 more boards than those described by Brunet. VERY ELEGANT CONTEMPORARY RED MOROCCO BINDINGS, PERFECTLY PRESERVED, IN EXCEPTIONAL CONDITION. It belonged to the Conventionnel Edme-Bonaventure Courtois (1754-1816; cat. 1819 n°3327), who had built up a very important library of particularly "well-chosen" books.