One of the first Breton books printed in the 16th century to be auctioned in Morlaix

Many old books will be put up for auction in Morlaix this Tuesday, October 15. 358 works in total which come from the personal collection of the Le Goaziou family, who ran bookstores at the tip of Brittany for four generations between 1862 and 1995. In Guingamp, Morlaix then Quimper. And the star of this sale is one of the very first books printed in the Breton language: “Cathechism”, published in 1576.

This 79-page “little cathechism” was translated from the Latin of the Dutch Jesuit Pierre Canisius into Breton by Gilles de Kerampuil, then priest of Cléder-Poher (Finistère). It is one of the very first known works printed in the Breton language. “It’s a rare book, an extraordinary thing” confirms Ronan Calvez, teacher-researcher at the Breton and Celtic Research Center in Brest.

A treasure estimated between 5,000 and 10,000 euros

Yves Salmon, the expert in old books who prepared this sale for Dupont & Associés, estimated it at between 5,000 and 10,000 euros. “It is a unique piece. While researching we did not find any other complete copy. There is a copy at the abbey of Landévennec, one at the diocesan library of Quimper and probably another at the National Library of France. But they are all incomplete. This one is the only one complete.