A vintage French pocket Roman Catholic missal ("Missel"), published by Desclée & Cie in 1936 and bound in full supple brown leather with gilt-tooled border decorations. The volume features red-stained page block edges, parallel bilingual Latin and French liturgical texts in double columns, and rich illustrated woodcut-style border decorations throughout featuring biblical iconography, angels, and scenes of the Nativity.

Historical & Style Details

• Title / Subject: French Catholic Pocket Missal (Missel)
• Publisher: Desclée & Cie, Paris / Tournai
• Date / Imprimatur: 1936 (Imprimatur granted by Jozef-Ernest Cardinal Van Roey, Archbishop of Mechlin/Malines, 5 August 1936)
• Language: Latin and French (bilingual)
• Markings: Imprimatur page inscribed "N° 1205"
• Retailer label: Oval bookstore label pasted to inner board for "CARLIER-GODEFROID, 250, Rue Gambetta, LILLE"
• Binding: Full brown calfskin/morocco leather with gilt decorative framing and gilt spine title "MISSEL"
• Decorative Details: Full-page ornate border illustrations around text pages; red-stained edges
• Condition: Surface wear and gentle rubbing along spine, edges, and corners; text block tightly bound and clean with minimal interior toning

History

Desclée & Cie, founded in Tournai, Belgium in 1877, was one of the premier Catholic publishers of liturgical books, missals, and sacred music in Europe. Pocket missals of this kind were cherished personal devotional items throughout the early 20th century, frequently presented as commemorative gifts for First Communions or weddings, and distributed across regional networks of Catholic booksellers such as Carlier-Godefroid in Lille.