RABELAIS (François). Œuvres de maître François Rabelais avec des remarques historiques... Amsterdam, Jean-Frédéric Bernard, 1741. 3 vols. in-4° bound in full marbled blond basane, spines with gilt and ornamented bands, double fillet stamped on the boards, double fillet gilt on the edges (Binding of the period). Vol.1: [4] ff, XXXVI, 526 pp, Vol.2: [2] ff, XXXIV, (3-383) pp, Vol.3: [7] ff, 216 pp (noted 218), 150 pp, [18] ff. decorated with a title frontispiece repeated in vol.3, a frontispiece by Folkena, a portrait of Rabelais, 17 figures out of text including 4 folding all engraved on copper after Bernard Picart. This enlarged and illustrated edition is considered to be the most elaborate and beautiful. Fairly good condition despite some defects and missing headpieces, a few spots of varying density. Bessinge library label Provenance: Tronchin-Givaudan library, then by descent to the present owners Fairly good condition Binding : Head and tail caps missing from vols. 1 and 2 Partial loss of approx. 2 cm on the upper section of the front cover of vol.2 at the level of the spine and the head cover Waxing to spine of vol.2 Some jaws partially split Edges and corners rubbed, including a dull corner on vol.1 Minimal and rare insect damage revealing the binding boards Spine leather a little cracked Inside pages: Some foxing of varying density depending on the volume Slight indentation of the tail edge of the text block in vol.2 Few plates oxidised or browned Several ff-numbering errors without missing, the page break in vol. 3 is indicated in Cohen (839-842) Collation: Vol 1: [4] ff, XXXVI, 526 pp. Folding plates: 4 Plates: 10 Frontispiece: 1 Engraved title: 1 Vol 2: [2] ff. XXXIV, (3-383) pp. plates: 4 Vol 3: [7] ff, 218 pp, 150 pp, [18] ff. Engraved title: 1 Tronchin- Givaudan Library Assembled and preserved by several generations of the Tronchin and Givaudan families, the Tronchin-Givaudan library bears witness to a deep commitment to knowledge, historical awareness and the exceptional. The selection we have the honour of offering at auction highlights a subtle balance between erudition and the art of living. Comprising mainly works from the eighteenth and twentieth centuries, this collection covers more than five centuries of printed production, closely linked to the history of Geneva and the Tronchin family, one of the city's great patrician lineages, now extinct. A number of seventeenth-century titles hark back to the origins of this lineage, notably around the figure of Théodore Tronchin (lot 2567). However, it was in the 18th century, with the acquisition of the Bessinge estate by Jacob Tronchin in 1764, that the collection really took shape. The works, many of which bear the bookplates of Jean Armand Tronchin (1732-1813) and his son Henri (1794-1865), make up a collection faithful to the ideals of the Enlightenment, combining public law, classical humanities, science, travel accounts (lots 2471, 2479, 2554..), major works of 18th-century printing - including the plan of Paris by Turgot (lot 2591) - and rare editions bearing the royal coat of arms, such as those of Madame de Pompadour (lot 2545). At the turn of the 20th century, a new page was turned when Xavier Givaudan (1867-1966), a leading figure in the industrial boom alongside his brother Léon Givaudan (1875-1936) in the fields of synthetic perfume, chemicals and soap, established in Switzerland in 1917, acquired the estate in 1938 after renting it for several years. The library and works have been preserved and in part passed on to his descendants. His brother Léon Givaudan built up a bibliophile collection focusing on Art Deco books, bringing together works sublimated by bindings signed by the great contemporary bookbinders (lots 2606, 2626, 2648, etc.). His library was sold at auction in Paris on 3 June 1988. André Givaudan (1895-1973), Xavier Givaudan's son, also had a particular interest in literature, joining several bibliophile societies and adding a number of modern illustrated books to the collection. All the lots marked in brown in the printed catalogue come from the Tronchin-Givaudan Collection, then by descent to the current owners.