Books

Second and revised edition of this census of France following the death 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. The first edition was published in 1709. Two vols in 1, quarto (241 x 192 mm). Recently rebound using old mottled calf, spine panelled and with tooled ornamentation in gilt, raised bands and brown morocco label, covers with triple-rule panel in blind, edges red. Woodcut vignette to title pages, woodcut initials, head- and tailpieces, engraved armorial headpiece to p. [3]. Later annotations in pencil and orange crayon to contents. Contemporary ink shelf mark to front free endpaper and title page. Neat paper repair to title page replacing library stamp, not touching text. Light rubbing, minor browning and foxing to endpapers and contents, small hole to head of front free endpaper: a very good copy. Goldsmiths' 5629. Norman John Greville Pounds, An Historical Geography of Europe, 1500-1840, 1979.