| The Elzeviers are known for their small-format books,
suited to being read in the hand and carried in the pocket. Thibault's Academie de l’espée is an altogether different kind of
production. Far and away the biggest volume the Elzeviers produced, it
took a long
time to come into being: a Paris privilege from December 1620 is accompanied
by one from the Netherlands dated June 1627. Although the volume can be
shown open to only one of its extremely elaborate plates, the time spent
on its production may be better understood by noting that the book contains
more then forty-five double-size plates of equal elaborateness. Geared
to an aristocratic, armigerous, and armed audience presumably easily able
to absorb the cost of so massive a production, the book was designed without
sparing any expense in order to impress. It succeeds. |
