Dom François BÉDOS de CELLES (1709-1779). L'Art du facteur d'orgues par D. Bedos de Celles, Bénédictin [Paris, Académie Royale des Sciences], 1766-1778; 4 parts bound in one volume, plus a volume of plates, making 2 vol. in-folio, half-brown calf, ribbed spine set with gilded chains and stamped with two gilded fleurons (strictly period binding when the 4th part was published). A masterfully illustrated monument: the organbuilder's bible. Complete first edition of the famous work printed by L.F. Delatour in 1766 (1st part), 1770 (2nd and 3rd) and 1778 (4th). RISM B VI, p. 130. 1st issue with two unknown pagination errors: p. 125, corrected to 225, and p. 525, corrected to 475. Remarkable fact: this copy has preserved, next to the cardboard of the last f. of text p. 645 (starred)-646, its 1st state paginated in the same way. On p. 646, the box adds a 9-line paragraph in P. S. about Fr. Engramelle, who wrote the Tonotechnie. The last paragraph in N.B. of 8 lines (instead of 6) is modified by underlining everything that the Table of Contents that follows brings as a supplement. Due to lack of space, the large crowned vignette with fleur-de-lys will disappear. Very rare Avis des libraires of [1770] (mounted on the last bl.f. after the Table) for the publication of the 4th part planned as early as 1771. At the same time, the Tables and Preface are announced: the whole will make the Work entirely complete (...) it is advisable to postpone the binding until the entire Work has been received. This was done, the Preface with Table, f. of corrections and additions to the 4 parts and Avis au relieur [of 1778] i.e. XXXII pp. having been bound at the head after the Avertissement of 1766 (contrary to the reprints). It should be noted that there is no title page for part 3, as it was printed at the same time as part 2 in 1770. The title of the latter is on 1 f.n.ch., as is that of part 4. pp. 2-4 of part 2 are incorrectly printed throughout the edition instead of [144-146], as is f. 619-620, which is numbered twice. The erroneous word "olivier" on p. 581 for "alisier" in the errata (p. XXXJ) has been incorrectly corrected in the Laget reprint with a non-period s! Complete with 137 plates, including numerous large and magnificent folding plates, numbered in Roman or Arabic numerals (plate XV bound backwards after plate XVI and plates 27-28 inverted). Provenance: Ex-libris ms on flyleaf: Bibliothecae Guil: Ravets/Ecclesiae collegiatae Sti Jacobi Lovanii/Organoedi , Antoine-Guillaume Ravets (Louvain 1758-Antwerp 1827), composer and organist, pupil of Mathias Van den Gheyn, was organist at Saint-Jacques in Louvain and then at Saint-Augustin in Antwerp. He wrote numerous motets and preludes for organ with orchestra, a Requiem with orchestra and various religious compositions. Marginal soiling, passim foxing, a few refixed tears in the fold-outs (XXX touching the field, L, LXXVI to LXXVIII), spine bindings in need of restoration, otherwise a fine copy for its typographical assets, rare parts and early provenance.