Thursday, January 19, 2012

Marie-Antoinette's Books

From her private library at Versailles. They're not what you would think.
The Latin and French books are bound in citron moroccan leather and have triple gilt fillet borders.  The covers are stamped with Marie Antoinette's coat of arms. 

The titles are:


L'Office de la semaine sainte, à l'usage de la maison du roi by the Abbot of Bellegarde


Les Plaideurs by Jean Baptiste Racine


Officium parvum B. Mariæ Virginis, ad usum ordinis Cisterciensis.


Histoire des Celtes...nouvelle édition by Simon Pelloutier
(Read entire post.)

To translate, the books are The Office of Holy Week, The Litigants by Jean Baptiste Racine, The Little Office of The Blessed Virgin Mary: According to the Usage of the Cistercian Order, and History of the Celts by Simon Pelloutier. Marie-Antoinette had two sisters who were nuns, and history was one of her favorite subjects. She enjoyed plays and novels as well.

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1 comment:

May said...

And people say she was a featherhead who barely ever opened a book...