Title from title page, v. 1; v. 2 has title: Le second volume de la mer des histoires. Both titles begin with the same large, historiated woodcut initial L.

A reprint of the first French edition, published: Paris : Pierre le Rouge, for Vincent Commin, 1488-1489. With additions up 10 August 1500, including a large woodcut captioned "la battaile de fournouue" (Fornovo, 6 July 1495), and portraits of Louis XII and Anne de Bretagne.

Printed by Guillaume Le Rouge. Though the type differs, the woodcuts are largely those that appear in the edition printed by Pierre le Rouge.

Colophon, v. 1, leaf 2h9v: "Cy finist le premier volume de la mer des hystoires Imprime a Paris pour Anthoine Verard demourant a lymaige saint Jehan leua[n]geliste: deuant la Rue neufue nostre dame. ou au palaiz, au premier pillier deuant la chapelle ou lon chante la messe de messeign[eu]rs les Presidens."

Colophon, v. 2, leaf 309v (2S5v): "Imprime nouuelleme[n]t a paris pour anthoine verard marchant libaire [sic] demourant a paris deuant la rue neufue nostre dame a lymaige sai[n]ct Jehan leuangeliste. Ou au palays au premier pillier deuant la chapelle ou len chante la messe de messeigneurs les presidens." With Vérard's woodcut device.

"Matériel typographique de Guillaume Le Rouge. Daté [circa 1503] d'après l'adresse d'Antoine Vérard et l'emploi du matériel."--BP16.

The original Latin text has been incorrectly attributed to Giovanni de Colonna or Burchardus de Monte Sion; this anonymous translation is sometimes attributed to Vincent Commin, publisher of the first French edition.

Collation: folio: v. 1. [pi]⁴ a-y⁸ z⁸ &⁸ 2a-2g⁸ 2h¹⁰ ã⁸ [$4 (+2h5) signed; signing i4 as 'iiij', z1 as z2]; 270 leaves, folios [4 unnumbered], [i] ii-CClvii, [9 unnumbered, the first (2h10) blank]. Leaf z1r (correctly foliated Clxxvii, signed z2) continues the text of the preceding leaf; z1v and z2v, the latter implicitly counted as leaf 178, contain the double-page woodcut "figure de la terre saincte", and z2r continues from the text of z1r. -- v.2. A-U⁸ x⁸ 2A-2M⁸ 2N⁸(2N4 + '2N5'.1, -2N7,8) 2O-2P⁸ 2Q⁸(2Q6 + chi²) 2R⁸ 2S⁶, ã⁸ ẽ⁸ ĩ⁶ õ⁶, 2s⁸ [$4 (+2N5, -A1,2, N3, P3, S1, 2O1, 2S1) signed]; 348 leaves, folios i-CClxviii, ii.c.lxviii, ii.c.lxviii, CClxix-CClxxxxii [2 unnumbered] CClxxxxiii-cclxxxxiiii CClxxxxvi-CCCix [CCCx, blank], [36 unnumbered]. Both volumes with numerous errors in foliation; some pages have woodcuts that extend beyond the type-page measure, and are liable to trimming if not folded; the leaves are included in the foliation count, though the foliation itself is omitted on many of them.

In v. 2, presumably owing to an imposition error, leaves 2N7,8, numbered 271-272, are cancelled; bifolium 2N(2N5.6) is inserted after 2N4, both leaves numbered "ii.c.lxviii" (duplicating 2N4, "CClxviii"). The numbering continues from 271 (leaf 2O1) to 294 (2Q8); 2R1, however, is numbered 297, taking into account (as 2 leaves) of the Battle of Fornovo woodcut, though its natural insertion point is between leaves 292 and 293 (2Q6,7), to precede the history of the battle. The final printed foliation 309 (leaf 2S6) is therefore 2 less than the preceding leaf count, though some agencies treat the woodcut as a "plate" (uncounted insertion).

The Fornovo woodcut was printed from 3 blocks on 3 sheets pasted together; for description see Mortimer, as well as Monceaux, who attributed the design and execution to Guillaume Le Rouge.

Moreau, B. Inventaire chronologique des éditions parisiennes du XVIe siècle, 1503.114

MacFarlane, J. Antoine Vérard, 172

Harvard College Library. Catalogue of books and manuscripts. French 16th century books, 467

Monceaux, H. Les Le Rouge de Chablis, v. 2, pages 124-128 (Guillaume Le Rouge, no. 39)

Pollard, A.W. Catalogue of books mostly from the presses of the first printers ... collected by Rush C. Hawkins, 440

Imperfect: vol. 1 wanting; title transcribed from Macfarlane 172. T.-p. of vol. 2 repaired, wanting some text on verso; text trimmed from leaf ci.

Error in binding: Index and Martyrology transposed at end of vol. 2..