General Library of Novels. Volume XI. Louis Elizabeth Tressan. The Flower of Battles; The story of Rigda and Regner ...

General Library of Novels. Volume XI. Louis Elizabeth Tressan. The Flower of Battles; The story of Rigda and Regner Lodbrog. [Bibliotheque universelle des dames. Tome XI. La fleur des batailles; Histoire de Rigda & Regner Lodbrog.] In French.
Paris. Rue de hotel Serpente, Avec Approbation & Privilege au Roi, 1787. - [4], 178 p. Solid, one-piece leather binding of the era, three-sided gold trim; reduced format. The top cover of the binding is lost; the avantitle is dirty; single foxings and creases on the pages.

[The Bibliothèque universelle des novels (French: Bibliothèque universelle des novels) was a book series published as a periodical in Paris from January 1775 to July 1789. At the time of completion, it included 112 volumes, each in two parts. The relatively low subscription price (three and then two livres per issue) and the large circulation contributed to the popularity of the publication outside of France (the complete set was available in the Pushkin library).

The " Universal Library...", begun three years after the completion of the Encyclopedia of Diderot and d'Alembert, was in fact a literary encyclopedia comparable in importance to the above. The significance and uniqueness of the idea of the series was complemented by the originality of the task-to present to readers in its entirety novels of all times and peoples.

The creator and editor of the publication was Antoine Rene de Voyer d'Argenson, Marquis de Polmy. Count Louis de Tressan was also on the editorial board. Because of the quarrel between Tressan and Polmi, the latter left the Library and took away some of the staff, but Tressan managed to maintain high academic standards when publishing chivalrous novels.

The XI volume includes two works by Louis-Elisabeth de la Vergne, Comte de Tressan (1705-1783) - a French marshal, doctor, scientist and writer, best known for his adaptations of medieval chivalric novels, which contributed to the emergence of the troubadour movement in French art.

The first of them is "The Flower of Battles, or The Story of the adventures of Doon of Mainz, the son of his Gofrey and the grandson of Ogier the Dane", dedicated to Doon de Mayans-a character in the French epic, the hero of the poem of the same name, dating from the middle of the XIII century and the founder of the family, from which came, in particular, Ogier the Dane and Ganelon. The Geste Doon de Mayans, the third of the Carolingian cycles of chivalric novels dedicated to feudal uprisings, is named after him.

The second is " Studies of the origin of novels invented before the Christian era. The story of Rigda and Regner Lodbrog."

There are no reliable sources confirming the existence of Ragnar. Most of the details of his life and activities are known from the Scandinavian sagas, which tell how Ragnar was engaged in raids and sea robbery. It is assumed that the historical Ragnar (if there was one) was active in the first half of the IX century and was one of the most influential military leaders in Denmark.]