Books

First edition of this census of France in the last years of Louis XIV. Saugrain's work provides the number of households in virtually every town and commune: the work "allows one to estimate with only a small margin of error the population of France and its distribution" (Pounds, p. 93) Claude-Marin Saugrain (1679-1750) seems to have been primarily employed in the Paris book trade. Although his census was not financed by the government, Saugrain drew heavily on the individual population reports of Louis's Intendants, forerunners of the modern French préfets. Two vols, duodecimo (164 x 95 mm), pp. [xx], 408; [xiv], 342. Contemporary sprinkled calf, spines ruled and decorated with fleur-de-lys device in gilt, and with raised bands and red morocco labels, marbled endpapers, edges red, green silk bookmarkers. Woodcut ornament to title pages, head- and tailpieces. Extensive contemporary ink annotations to both vols. 19th-century engraved bookplate of "Marande" to front pastedown of both vols. Light rubbing and scoring, several ink splashes to covers, joints and extremities neatly restored, minor browning and foxing to endpapers and contents: a very good copy. Norman John Greville Pounds, An Historical Geography of Europe, 1500-1840, 1979.