The works of Rabelais

Red leather binding with gilt lines around the perimeter. 1 raised band on spine, with the title in one compartment and a raised yellow leather depiction of a man with a sword (see images for more details) in the larger portion. Front cover is slightly loose from the spine, though still intact. Page edges are gilt, and pages remain clear and bright throughout, in very good condition. Rabelais was a French writer and priest, known for his humanist learning among the conventional contemporaries and his comic novels which were subject to persecution due to their religious satire and scatological humor, which led him to seek protection from higher political figures to avoid the repercussions and retaliations caused by his work and teachings. It is from his works that the term “Rabelaisian humor” is derived, referencing a more vulgar type of humor, similar to Rabelais’ own diction and tone throughout his works.