First edition of the celebrated manual of copperplate engraving by Abraham Bosse. This work went on to be republished innumerable times, translated into all European languages and even extended to cover new techniques in the 18th century. At the time a dispute was raging between different theorists in this field, with participants publishing their own ideas and accusing each other of plagiarism. Following a trial, Bosse was excluded from the French royal academy of painting, and a few years later his school was closed by royal decree.