The Complete Works of Francois Rabelais

SUPERB: METACLASSIC: A TREASURE: NEW: First Edition hardcover (Orig. 1991) w/ full no. line showing First Printing: NEW handsomely-designed jacket w/ sharp NEW edges & corners featuring a medallion portrait of Rabelais on the front panel & protected in a precisely-applied mylar sleeve, NEW library-durable maroon linen-over-boards cover w/ sharp NEW edges & corners & w/ titles ELEGANTLY gilt-stamped on NEW uncreased spine, IMMACULATE smooth-cut text-block exterior, NEW sewn binding w/ tight signatures & royal-blue silk banding at spine-caps, IMPECCABLE cream-white card-stock end-papers, PRISTINE interior beautifully printed w/ remarkable clarity in Bembo on SUPERB silk-finish archival paper * 6.14" x 9.24" x 2.44", 1.69 kg, xlviii+1067 (1115) pp. * Abbreviations (xix), Foreword (xxi), Translator's Note (xxv), Introduction (xxvii), "Gargantua & Pantagruel" (1-732), Miscellaneous Writings (733), Notes (807), Glossary (947) *ABOUT THE BOOK: Rip-roaring and rib-tickling, François Rabelais's irreverent story of the giant Gargantua, his giant son Pantagruel, and their companions Frere Jean & Panurge is a classic of the written word. This complete translation by Donald Frame, helpfully annotated for the nonspecialist and faithful to the original as no other English edition has been, is a masterpiece in its own right. Frame brings to 20th-century English all the exuberance & invention of the original 16-century French. A final part containing all the rest of Rabelais's known writings, including his letters, supplements the five books traditionally known as "Gargantua & Pantagruel." One of those who gave meaning to the term "Renaissance man," Rabelais participated in every crucial endeavor undertaken in the 16th century. He was (successively or simultaneously) a cleric, medical doctor, student of law, teacher, & confidant-counselor of important political & diplomatic figures. His great comic narrative, written in hugely popular installments over more than two decades, was unsparingly satirical of scholarly pomposity & the many abuses of religious, legal, & political power. Condemned at various times by the Sorbonne, the books narrowly escaped being banned. Behind his obvious pleasure in lampooning effete erudition & the excesses of society is the humanist's genuine love of knowledge & belief in the basic goodness of human nature. The bawdy wit & uninhibited zest for life that characterize his unlikely travelers have delighted readers & inspired other writers ever since the exploits of Gargantua & Pantagruel first appeared. Today, scholars find virtually unlimited themes in the variety of subjects Rabelais considered, from education to exploration, from literature to war to laughter to cosmology itself. * FRANCOIS RABELAIS is known through is work more than through the scanty details of is life.Born in the lat 15th-century in the Loire River valley, he was a member first of the Franciscan, the of the Benedictine order. He left to become a lay priest & pursue a career as a physician, teacher, & writer. Rabelais accompanied the Bishop of Paris & later cardinal Jean du Bellay to Rome on two occasions & wrote works on medicine & translations in addition to his literary masterpiece. The first two books of "Gargantua & Pantagruel" were published under a pseudonym. The fifth book appeared long after Rabelais's death in 1553. * The TRANSLATOR: DONALD M. FRAME was Professor of French at Columbia University & a renowned translator of, & expert on, Montaigne & Moliere as well as Rabelais. Among his many books are "Francois Rabelais" (1977) & "Montaigne: A Biography" (1966) * HIGHEST CRITICAL PRAISE: "A tour de force. . . . There is no doubt in my mind that, like his translation of Montaigne, [Frame's] translation of Rabelais will become the standard translation in English." -Philippe Desan, University of Chicago. * SHIPPING: Securely & elegantly packaged for prompt FREE shipment via USPS MEDIA MAIL within the U.S.A.…