BOOKS ON ARCHITECTURE

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Transcribed version of the text

French

     One cannot help being struck by the fact that François Langlois published Pierre Le Muet’s Maniere de bien bastir pour toutes sortes de personnes in 1647 (the year of the bookseller’s death) and that his widow accompanied it in republishing the third Livre d’architecture by Jacques Androuet du Cerceau the following year. Moreover, the layout and the topography of the title pages are very comparable. These collections of models of private residences were obviously in great demand, linked to the building fever in Paris during the middle of the 17^th century, and Androuet du Cerceau’s “country houses” were a natural counterpart to Le Muet’s city residences. The widow Langlois’ modifications remain insignificant : the text was reset and modernised, also embellished with new decorative bands and new initials. The plates, which the Langlois family owned, were from the original edition.

Yves Pauwels (Centre d’études supérieures de la Renaissance, Tours) – 2012

Critical bibliography

F. Boudon, "Les livres d’architecture de Jacques Androuet du Cerceau", J. Guillaume (ed.), Les traités d’architecture de la Renaissance, Paris, Picard, 1988, pp. 367-396.

P. Fuhring, "L’œuvre gravé", P. Fuhring & J. Guillaume (ed.), Jacques Androuet du Cerceau, "un des plus grands architectes qui se soient jamais trouvés en France", Paris, Picard/Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine, 2010, pp. 35-36.

H. von Geymüller, Les Du Cerceau. Leur vie et leur œuvre d’après les nouvelles recherches, Paris/London, Rouam/Wood & Co, 1887.