Abbé Proyart - Vie de Marie Leckzinska (A. Mame et Cie, 1838) in Publisher's Binding

1838 French book titled Vie de Marie Leckzinska with green spine and gold gilt lettering - view 1

1/2

Estimated value

$15 - $40

Rarity

Ordinary(3/10)

ABBÉ PROYART - VIE DE MARIE LECKZINSKA (A. MAME ET CIE, 1838) IN PUBLISHER'S BINDING: IDENTIFICATION

An 1838 edition of Abbé Proyart's biography of Queen Marie Leszczyńska, printed in Tours by A. Mame et Compagnie. The volume features an engraved frontispiece depicting an allegorical scene opposite the typographic title page. It is bound in a publisher's green "cartonnage romantique" binding, characteristic of French provincial publishing in the July Monarchy, with rococo-revival gilt tooling on the spine.

CROSS-CULTURAL PARALLELS

Where This Object Echoes

19th-Century France1830-1880

The 'livre de prix' (school prize book) tradition, where ornately bound moral texts were awarded to top students.

Ritual & Ceremonial Use

•Awarded at end-of-year Catholic school ceremonies as a prize for academic achievement or good conduct.

Meaning Through Time

Late 18th Century

Originally written as royalist propaganda during the Revolution.

Mid-19th Century

Repackaged as a standardized moral exemplar for bourgeois Catholic education.

COLLECTOR NOTES

The House of Mame became so large that by the mid-19th century it printed, bound, and distributed up to 20,000 volumes a day.

Proyart originally published this biography in 1794 while in exile during the French Revolution, using Marie Leszczyńska's life as a contrast to the perceived moral decay of the era.

SCARCITY

Ordinary40-55%

CommonLegendary

Standard antiques commonly found at estate sales and flea markets. Plentiful supply meets modest demand.

Typical Characteristics

Moderate production runs
Common at estate sales
Entry-level collectibles

Confidence Factors

How does authenticity detection work?

BIBLIOPHILE'S ASSESSMENT

Rare Book Dealer & Bibliographer

Bibliographer

The title page provides definitive bibliographic information (author, publisher, year), and the binding is a textbook example of 1830s Mame production.

KEY EVIDENCE

1Title page imprint: Tours, Chez A. Mame et Cie, 1838.

WHAT WOULD IMPROVE CERTAINTY

→Check the front free endpaper for school prize bookplates (ex-libris de prix) which can add localized provenance.

CONDITION & GRADE

Good

Grading breakdown

Grade is suppressed from Very Good due to the heavy foxing visible in the text block, though the external binding appears structurally sound.

Condition

Heavy, widespread foxing (brown maculation) is visible across the frontispiece and title page margins. The green publisher's binding shows minor rubbing to the spine extremities, but the gilt tooling remains bright.

BOOK MARKET VALUATION

$15 - $40

Updated: Oct 16, 2026

Market comparables from auctions & retail
Condition, completeness & craftsmanship
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For informational purposes only, not a formal appraisal.

YOUR INPUT VS. SCAN

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What Aligned

User identified the year as 1838, which is explicitly printed on the title page imprint.
User noted stains/zaplamień, which accurately describes the heavy foxing visible on the title page and frontispiece.

FROM THE CABINET OF

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