LUCE Louis-René Épreuve du premier alphabeth droit et penché, ornée de quadres et de cartouches. Gravé par ordre du Roy pour l’Imprimerie royale, par Louis Luce, & finis en 1740.

Bigmore-W. I, 446; Updike I, 246; Walsh, Miniature books, 4735.

Of major importance in the history of typography and extremely rare.

Luce was the king's engraver between 1738 and 1762; he executed numerous typefaces as well as a large number of vignettes and fleurons. Among his major achievements was the cutting of this type-face which he named “the Pearl”, the smallest typeface ever engraved until that date.

This booklet shows for the first-time examples of printing using this typeface, and it is also decorated with new ornaments. In the introduction Luce explains the use of this new variety : "ils sont d'autant plus nouveaux & utiles, qu'ils sont composés de différentes pièces ou morceaux qui peuvent s'arranger de plusieurs manières pour varier ces Cartouches, en former des Cul-de-lampes, & des Quadres d'ornements" (introduction).

"One of the greatest achievements of Louis Luce was his cutting the character which he named 'La Perle', which was the smallest body that had ever been cut or cast… Eight leaves as a specimen of this microscopic type, both Roman and Italic, which was cut in emulation of the celebrated Sedanoise editions. Although much smaller, it is nevertheless superior" (Bigmore-W.).

"The smallest size of Luce's new type had already been shown in a delightful little volume of eight leaves, called Épreuve du Premier Alphabet Droit et Penché, issued in 1740. Up to that time the type known as la petite sédanoise was the smallest extant. But having called that, for some reason or other, alphabeth second, French logic demanded that there be a first and this was it! …Luce's 'Premier Alphabeth' (also called perle) is almost impossible to read. I do not know if it was ever employed, except in the charmingly got up specimen" (Updike).

The work opens with a frontispiece composed of typographical ornaments surmounted by a royal crown, followed by a title printed within a frame with a crowned vignette headed by three fleurs-de-lis. The subsequent 3 leaves contain the introduction, followed by 3 fables by La Fontaine (Le Renard et les raisins; L'Homme et l'idole de bois; Le Coche et la mouche). The last 3 leaves are occupied by a poem by Horace, followed by specimen vignettes and other typographical ornaments. Printed to celebrate the king as a patron of royal printing, the last leaf is decorated with fleur-de-lis and with royal crowns at the corners.

Very nice copy of this rare book.