Folio Archives 52: Galley Slave : Jean Marteilhe 1957

Galley Slave : The Autobiography of Jean Marteilhe 1957

This remarkable story is the autobiography of a Frenchman from Périgord who was condemned by Louis XIV to be a galley slave in 1685 for being a Huguenot (Protestant). There was severe repression of religious dissenters at the time, and any who were caught attempting to leave France for Protestant Holland, as Marteilhe discovered, were sentenced to the galleys.

The trials and tribulations he suffered make dramatic reading, while his philosophical acceptance of his lot show his stoic character, as did his fierce determination to stay with his religion, as conversion to Catholicism would have resulted in his immediate release.

There are detailed descriptions of galleys and their use, as well as how a slave lived chained to an oar with his companions where he ate, slept and excreted without leaving his post for long periods. In battle, if the galley sank, the slaves went down with the ship still chained to their oar.

It is living history, written from the perspective of the lowliest class of person alive at that time, a perspective that is so often missed by the professional historian.

The book was originally published in 1757 as a propaganda piece to be used against the French. An English translation appeared a year later. The Folio Society edition follows an 1864 translation that has been carefully edited and revised to place chapters in chronological order rather than in the random rambling of the first edition.

The book is quarter bound in black cloth with a gilt spine title and fern pattern marbling to the paper boards. It has 182 pages, 10 illustrations, an illustrated title page, and a five page introduction (presumably by the editor Kenneth Fenwick). The book is quite small at only 22cm high, and is housed in a mid-blue patterned slipcase.























An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.

I think what I've learned to appreciate most about this series, Warwick, is the wonderful randomness of it. It's like browsing your shelves, picking up the occasional volume, flicking through. We've had older titles, like this one. Newer titles. Big name, well-known titles, and obscurities (dare I say, like this one). All described through what I can only call a loving eye. Never a dud though some, of course, are better than others. That, to me, is what makes Folio Society books very special, and that is why I collect them and nothing else.

>2 folio_books:
Hear, hear!

>1 wcarter: great series, many thanks. Another one for the wish list!

>2 folio_books:
I am indeed slowly working my way through my FS collection. Only 500 or so books to go ;-)
I avoid reviewing books that are currently available directly from the FS, and mostly concentrate on those prior to 2000.

>4 wcarter: mostly concentrate on those prior to 2000.

That's a sound policy. It was not long into the 2000s that I finally abandoned my goal of owning all the Folios because of the massive increase in production. I look forward to many more visits to your bookshelves to come.

I used the Folio Society selections especially before 2000 as a tool for discovery of works that I would not have otherwise heard about. The book choices themselves were quite creative considering the earlier period of only having about 12-14 selections per year. When there were only the pre-selected 12 or so books a year, barring a financial restriction, it was tempting to order the full selection for the then upcoming year. Now we have that many almost each season.

But, I am being nostalgic.

>6 Forthwith: When there were only the pre-selected 12 or so books a year, barring a financial restriction, it was tempting to order the full selection for the then upcoming year.

If there were only 12 or so books a year now I agree it would be very easy to keep up-to-date with new Folios. However, at the time they were doing that I was a young married man with a mortgage and I truly struggled to afford the four books necessary to maintain membership. As a rusty old pensioner I have far more disposable income now than when I was working, and the majority of it goes on Folio books.

There appears to be a variant with a swirling marbling to the boards, also from 1957. I read your review with interest, thanks.

>8 AlexCo:
I pre-ordered in 1957 and received blue-green swirling marbled boards which complemented the blue spine. Unfortunately the prospectus doesn't specify, and Folio 60 doesn't show any reprint.
P.S.
A search of LT shows four different marbling designs. Presumably the binder had carte blanche to use what he saw fit.

>7 folio_books: I was also in the same boat (two men in a boat?). How I wish that I would have had the money and time then to check the box with the Prospectus to have pre-ordered all 12 or so books. How I anticipated getting the annual Prospectus each fall for the following year! Like you, the cost was a factor in even choosing the minimum required four books. The only form of communication then for me in the US was the annual Prospectus.
Even then though, they would upon occasion publish a special book or set through the year. I rarely could pull the trigger on those.

>8 AlexCo: There seem to be a several variants in the marbling of this 1957 Folio edition of Galley Slave. Three variants distinct from Warwick's above which I found on a cursory glance on abe are:







There's also an FS copy of Galley Slave currently on sale on eBay which has marbling identical to that used for the boards of the FS Hermsprong!

Here is another variant in the marbling.


I like that there are so many variations.