1860. ABBE DESARENES Paul, Les Héros Chrétiens. Extraits des annales de la propagation de la foi.

127. ABBE DESARENES Paul, Les Héros Chrétiens. Extraits des annales de la propagation de la foi.

Limoges 1860, Brother Martial Ardant, 178 pp.

Acollection of accounts of Christian heroes, missionaries and martyrs in China, Vietnam and Korea. Theauthor, a Catholic clergyman writing under a pseudonym, actually Father Paul Jouhanneaud, (b. 1809, d. ca. 1870) wrote dozens of items spreading the faith and knowledge of saints and martyrs. Beautifully illustrated with a frontispiece engraving depictinga martyr being visited in prison by a woman. A rare example of subject matter concerning Catholic missions in the Middle Kingdom.

Period binding, beautiful gilt and embossed Romanesque binding in gold and white; gilt floral Romanesque designs on the front and back covers; also, on the front cover, a central cartouche illustration with missionaries at the court of the Emperor of China; binding in bdb condition with minimal rubbing, especially on spine and corners; spine embossed and gilded with title and floral and geometric designs; interior in db condition, occasionally stains but dry; overall db condition.