Front matter
Reading edition
BINDING Vol. VIII
The binding of this volume is a facsimile of the original in the British Museum, and is considered the most artistic mosaic binding design in existence.
It was executed about 1710, by Antoine Michel Padeloup, Royal Binder of both France and Portugal.
He presented it to Francoise Marie de Bourbon, daughter of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan, on the anniversary of her marriage to Philippe, Duke of Orleans, who afterward became Regent of France.
During the Reign of Terror this volume found its way to England, where it was sold at a handsome price. It was bequeathed to the British Museum by Felix Slade, Esq.