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he British Library Collection boasts a jewel of the Late Middle Ages in virtually pristine condition: Pierre Sala’s "Le Petit Livre d’Amour" - The Book of Love . It is one of those rare volumes which, through the intimacy of its verse and its sensitive choice of miniatures, enchant the reader from the outset. This declaration of love was written in about 1500 by the poet Pierre Sala, the son of a wealthy Lyons family and member of the French court. It was dedicated to the lady of his life, Marguerite Bullioud, who was later to become his wife.

The little book was kept in a lavishly decorated protective case which could be fastened to a belt around the waist much like a piece of jewellery. It also meant that Marguerite Bullioud was able to carry Pierre’s book about with her wherever she went. The precious little volume, conceived in genuine affection, initiates us into the fine points of courtly love and mannerisms its texts partially penned by Sala himself and partially borrowed from contemporary poets.

Pierre Sala’s book is thus not only a declaration of love but also a reflection of the culture and everyday life of his time.

The Fine Art Facsimile Edition of Pierre Sala’s Book of Love is a gift of lasting value to yourself or someone near to your heart.

The Facsimile contains 40 pages measuring 130 x 100 mm: these are followed by 12 miniatures to Sala’s poems and finally 17 pages (120 x 100 mm) with a transcription of the text in an 18th century French hand. The volume is bound in velvet and all pages are gilt edged.

The trilingual (English, French and German) commentary volume contains lengthy articles on the history and interpretation of the manuscript. Janet Backhouse, Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts at the British Library places the manuscript in its artistic and historic context while Yves Giraud, Professor at the University of Freiburg, provides a literary appraisal of the poet and his work. The commentary also includes a transcription and translation of the text. The Facsimile is limited to 980 copies world-wide of which 290 are presented in an exclusive slipcase with golden ornamental tooling matching the original manuscript

Please note: The 290 luxury editions are now sold out.