Code Civil des Francais. Paris 1804. Interleaved and Heavily Annotated by France; Code Napoleon - 1804

1804. Interleaved and Richly Annotated Throughout [France]. [Code Napoleon]. Code Civil des Francais. Edition Originale et Seule Officielle. Paris, De L'Imprimerie de la Republique, 1804. [iv], 436 pp. Interleaved, often with two or three blank leaves between text leaves. Octavo (7-3/4" x 4-1/2"). Contemporary vellum, hand-lettered paper label to spine. Moderate rubbing and light soiling to boards, which are slightly bowed, rubbing and light wear to extremities, joints cracked, light creasing and a few tiny tears to spine, chipping to head of spine, corners bumped and worn, hinges starting, crack in text block after half-title, which is partially detached. Light toning to interior, occasional faint dampstaining to top-edge, a few partial cracks to text block, several leaves loosening slightly, small tears (mostly clean, one large and partially mended) to three leaves with minor loss to annotation on pp. 263-264 only, upper corner of leaf K6 (pp. 156-157) lacking with loss to two words of text and possibly to annotation, minor worming to upper inside corner from pp. 387 to end of text block, no loss to legibility. Text and interleaves heavily annotated throughout, owner signature (Aude) and annotation ("Mairie de St. Germain L'Aiguillier" in a different hand) to title page. $5,000. * First official edition of the Code Civil (or Code Napoleon), promulgated on March 21, 1804. The final edition was published in 1827. The Aude family was important in the Vendee region and produced many public servants, historians and scholars, among them the politician and historian Leon Aude [1815-1870]. This copy may have been owned by his father, Pierre Joseph Aude, a notary in Reaumur, or another member of the family. The annotations are copious, painstaking and thoughtful. Most are in a single hand corresponding to the Aude owner signature. Many of these cite or quote from commentaries on the text, such as those of Toullier and Delvincourt, and primary sources for the Code, such as Pothier. Others reflect a comparative outlook, such as the note on article 1138 indicating that "this principle is particular to the French Code and distinguishes our legislation from that of the other peoples of Europe." Some make references to later laws, decrees, judgments or ordinances passed by bodies such as the Court of Cassation a.