Lot 479: DANFRIE, Philippe (1531-ca.1606). Declaration de l'usage du Graphometre. -Traicte de l'usage du Trigometre. Paris: P. Danfrie, 1597.

DANFRIE, Philippe (1531-ca.1606). Declaration de l'usage du Graphometre. -Traicte de l'usage du Trigometre. Paris: P. Danfrie, 1597. 8o in half-sheets (193 x 125 mm). Printed with Danfrie's second and fourth civilité types, 14 copper-engravings, 11 full-page, from 12 plates, four woodcut illustrations, 2 full-page. (Some minor staining.) 17th-century divinity calf (joint starting). Provenance: Jean Scheuez de Kembak (early owners name on title); Prof. E. Andrade (pencil note); acquired from Goodspeed's Rare Books, 1967. FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE, and one of only two books printed with these civilité types. An instrument maker, fine metal worker, and engraver (including of bookbinding tools), Danfrie was appointed "graveur général des monnaies de France" in 1582. His was the second civilité fount, following Robert Granjon's, which was modelled on a different French hand. Danfrie's early civilité types were used in books printed by Danfrie and Richard Breton or by Breton alone. The civilité types used here "represent the native French handwriting at a stage of development later" than his and Granjon's types produced at mid-century. Danfrie himself was the author of this work describing an instrument he invented for measuring angles. The privilege leaf (R4r) is in its first state, with lines 6, 9 and 10 ending "toutes di-", "pareil v", and "sans qu'au". Mortimer French 163; Carter and Vervliet, Civilité types 280.

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