VULSON DE LA COLOMBIÈRE (Marc de). The heroic Science, treating of the nobility, of the origin of the arms, of their Blazons, & Symbols, of the Tymbres, Bourlets, Crown, Cimiers, Lambrequins, Supports, & Tenans, & other ornaments of the Escu ; Of the Motto, & the Cry of War, of the Escu during & of the Steps & Empresses of the Ancient Knights, of the different forms of their Tombs; And of the external marks of the Escu of our Kings, of the Queens, & Children of France, & of the Officers of the Crown, & of the Household of the King. With the succinct Genealogy of the House of Rosmadec in Brittany. Paris : Sébastien Cramoisy, Gabriel Cramoisy, 1644. - 2 parts in one volume in-folio, 347 x 240 : (9 ff.), 494 pp, (10 ff. last blank), 8 plates (of 9) ; 38 pp, (3 ff. first blank), 6 plates (of 8). Speckled tan calf, double gilt fillet in border, gilt numeral in corners and gilt arms in centre of boards, smooth spine decorated with the numeral CC interlaced (period binding). First edition of one of the great works of heraldry, composed by Marc de Vulson de La Colombière, considered by some historians as the true creator of heraldic science. Divided into two parts, the first is devoted to all aspects of heraldry, including the origin of coats of arms, their composition, the origin of metals and colours, their mystical and symbolic meanings, etc. It is illustrated with a title vignette, a frontispiece drawn and engraved by Grégoire Huret (1606-1670), a full-page portrait of the Marquis de Rosmadec, the book's dedicatee, and the author's arms on a full page, a beautiful portrait of the author holding a parchment on which are drawn coats of arms, 5 engravings of medals in the text, more than a thousand coats of arms as well as 3 representations of knights on full page, namely the Duke of Brittany, the Duke of Bourbon and Aymon Salvaing de Boissieu. All plates are included in the pagination, except for 2 between pages 428 and 429 and 6 placed at the end. The second part is devoted to the genealogy of the house of Rosmadec, one of the great French feudal families, originally from Brittany . With its own title and pagination, it is illustrated with a full-page engraving representing the different coats of arms of the family, the Rosmadec arms on the title, and 6 plates of genealogy. The view and the plan of the castle of Kergournadeac'h are missing. A copy with illuminated lettering and all the illustrations, except for the title vignette and the medal figures at the beginning of the work. It is not uncommon to find such copies, but they are the most sought-after. A copy bearing arms not identified with certainty, not described by Olivier, Hermal and Roton. Or with a chevron between three boar's heads, two in chief and one in base, they would refer to the Chenu de Mangou family belonging to the nobility of Berry. Here they refer more specifically to Charles Chenu son of Jean Chenu, a merchant in Bourges, hence the presence of the figure CC on the back. In the corners is a monogram that could help us in the identification but which is difficult to decipher here because of the poor condition of the binding. The copy was acquired in the 19th century by the soldier, administrator of the École polytechnique and scholar Albert de Rochas d'Aiglun (1837-1914). He added an autograph receipt dated November 28, 1669, which he identified as being in the hand of Vulson de La Colombière, which cannot be the case because the latter died in 1658. There are also several old annotations in the margins . The binding has been extensively restored, the hinges, the edges of the boards and the spine have been redone. The original spine, which was ribbed, has been restored. Staining to the first 15 leaves and to the last leaves. Leaves of the quires Ccc (pages 193-196) and Ggg (pages 209-212) slightly shorter at the lower margin. Restored tear with no loss to the leaf corresponding to pages 481-482. The first 11 leaves and the last three are slightly chipped at one edge. The engraving at the head of the second part is cropped short with damage to the illustration. Provenance: Brion de Rancey, with manuscript bookplate dated 1693 on the title. - Albert de Rochas d'Aiglun, with bookplate.