Apuleius.
Title: Metamorphose, autrement, L'asne d'or / de L. Apulee de Madaure philosophe platonique ; traduite de latin en nostre vulgaire par George de La Bouthiere Autunois.
Imprint: A Lyon : Par Iean de Tournes & Guillaume Gazeau, 1553.
Physical Description: 646, [2] p. : ill. (woodcuts) ; 12 cm. (16mo)
Acquired through the Antoinette and Warren R. Howell Fund.
First edition of this French translation by La Bouthère of Apuleius' Latin novel, The Golden Ass. The beautifully executed woodcuts were the work of Bernard Salomon (ca. 1506-ca. 1561), the foremost of De Tournes’ designers. The Golden Ass is the only Latin novel that survives complete; it had an enormous influence in the Renaissance. Many stories are embedded within this novel, most notably the tale of Cupid and Psyche.