Satirical Poems from 1653

 Charles Vion d'Alibray, Oeuvres Poetiqes [Parts 3-6, Lacking Title Page]. 1653. Publisher's Imprint Missing. Hardcover 16-mo in original 17th-century binding. Inscribed and dated by Nicholas Penel, 1660 Paris, with list of books.

Charles Vion d'Alibray was a mostly-forgotten satirical writer of the 17th Century, who frequented many of the literary cabarets of his day and was associated with Saint-Amant, Scarron, and others later championed by underground Romanticists and Bohemians such as Théophile Gautier in his Grotesques. 

As of the time of its acquisition in March 2024, this was the oldest item in the collection. The original reader of this copy was one Nicolaus Penel, apparently a Paris surgeon. "1600 / Paris" is inscribed on the inside board, and on the title page in Latin: "Nicolaus Penel / Verus se posessor / hicus Libri. anno Domini. / 1666" (Nicolaus Penel / is the true owner / of this book. In the year of the lord / 1666", followed by an unintelligible line, and "hic Liber est Nicolai / Penel" ("This book is Nicolas Penel's".

The flyleaf is covered with a handwritten "Liste des livres" ("BookList") in no easily discernible order, covering a variety of medical, literary, and satirical titles. It is unclear whether this is a list of books owned, sought, etc. and why the list was kept here.