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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Maaike van der Velde, post: 13116039, member: 114671&quot;]Very interesting copy. I think the title-page inscriptions may be the strongest clue. The left appears to read <i>Collegii Paris. Societ. Jesu</i> and the right <i>Donum Auctoris</i>—so it apparently belonged to the Paris Jesuit College and was recorded as a gift from the author. The same ownership wording is found in other books from the Collège de Clermont, later known as Louis-le-Grand.</p><p><br /></p><p>I would treat the oval label as a separate, later ownership mark. The initials look like <b>A.H.L.</b>, not an abbreviation for the Académie, and the title page only identifies Duclos as a member of the Académie; Guérin and Prault were the actual publishers. The coronet may suggest a titled private owner, but it does not necessarily make the label royal. Since the Jesuit library was dispersed and its books sold in 1764, a later noble owner would fit the provenance nicely. So perhaps not a royal insignia—but possibly something even more interesting: an author-presented Jesuit-library copy with another layer of ownership history.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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