De l'Imitation de Jesus-Christ, Traduction Nouvelle Par le Pere Lallemant ... Precedee des Prieres du Matin et du Soir, les Sept Psaumes de la Penitence, l'Office et les Hymnes du Dimanche, en Francois [Imitation of Christ, Fr. Lallemant Translation]

By Thomas a Kempis

In French. No date, but circa 1820 Chez Lefuel (Paris), 2 3/4 x 4 1/4 inches tall full red leather bound, gilt decoration and lettering to spine, all page edges gilt, marbled endpapers, extra engraved title page, engraved frontspiece and six other full-page engravings, lxxx, 431, [1] pp. Covers rubbed and edgeworn, especially to spine and tips, with chipping to the spine caps. One-inch crack to bottom and 1/2-inch crack to top of front hinge, but the binding is firm. Moderate dampstaining and light soiling to frontispiece and title pages. Occasional light soiling, creasing and dampstains throughout, especially to front and rear prelims. Otherwise, a good to very good copy of this scarce imprint. OCLC locates no copies of this edition worldwide. Reference: Augustin De Backer, Essai Bibliographique sur le Livre De Imitatione Christi, 1248. 

Translator Jacques-Philippe Lallemant (circa 1660-1748) was a French Jesuit, of whom little is known beyond his writings. His principal works are against the Jansenists. In addition to this translation of the Imitation, first published in 1740 and reprinted numerous times, Lallemant wrote 'Le Sens propre et litteral des Psaumes de David,' his 1709 interpretation of the Psalms. The Imitation of Christ was written by Catholic monk Thomas Kempis (circa 1380-1471), as four separate books completed between 1420 and 1427, at Mount Saint Agnes monastery, in the town of Windesheim, located in what is now the Netherlands. He wrote these works for the instruction of novices of his Augustinian monastic order, followers of Geert Groote's Brethren of the Common Life. But the writings quickly became popular among all the literate faithful. There is probably no other book apart from the Bible which has been printed in so many editions and translations.