Three parts in one volume, folio, (315 x 222 mm). 4 ff., 165 ff.; 4 ff., 130 ff.; 4 ff., 161, 2 ff., 3 engraved title-pages, 2 woodcuts. Period-style full vellum, spine lettered in black, all edges dyed light red; housed in acid-free clamshell box. Occasional light toning, overall an extremely good copy.

Compiled in the 13th century, the Prose Lancelot expands greatly on the work of the Old French poet Chrétien de Troyes (fl. c. 1160-91) among others. It forms part of the so-called Vulgate Cycle, providing the fullest expression of the legends of the Knights of the Round Table. The work covers the titular character's youth, his romance with Queen Guinevere, and his adventures alongside other knights such as Gawain, Hector and Bors in the lead-up to the quest for the Holy Grail.

Given the work's popularity, the Prose Lancelot was a tempting project for early printers, this is the sixth edition overall; this 1533 printing by Philippe le Noir was considered one of the best, as it took its text from an older, superior manuscript.

The Arthurian legends arose in written form in the 12th century and quickly took their place as the most popular secular works of the Middle Ages, being rendered into prose and verse in English, French, German and many others besides. In subsequent centuries, they retained their status as a source of inspiration for artists such as the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Richard Wagner, and J. R. R. Tolkien.

Regarding the binding, this copy bears a note from 1938 by Duttons of New York stating “On this binding of the 'Launcelot Du Lac' which has just been executed, there is not a scrap of material used which is less than three hundred years old”.

Rare: few complete copies of the Le Noir edition are known. A search of WorldCat and the Karlsruhe Virtual Catalogue reveals six copies in European and three in North American libraries.

Provenance: note on the binding from Duttons, Park Avenue, New York, dated 20 June 1938; sold at Heritage Auctions, 2010; French private collection.

BM-STC French 251. Hoe/Shipman II, 12. Brunet III, 807. Not in Adams. Fairfax Murray, 302.