Rare set of six French almanacs for the years 1807, 1809, 1814-1815, 1824, and 1825. They were published by Pierre-Étienne Janet in Paris as a series that ran from 1806 until 1866. The almanacs were intended for the upper ten at the Court, in Paris, as well in the military and the departments. They include a calendar and the names of the most important figures in the country at the time, such as royals, ambassadors, clergymen, the military, lawyers, national and regional magistrates, physicians, etc., divided per department. Each volume is illustrated with 4 full-page plates, which in the earlier volumes are reproductions of famous paintings, including Mary and John the Baptist praying for the sleeping Christ by Raphael, The smoker by David Teniers, and landscapes by Jan van Goyen and Jan Asselijn. The first two volumes include 12 blank leaves in the back for annotations. The 1815 edition, the first to be published after the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte, includes portraits of French kings.
The boards are somewhat rubbed and discoloured, volumes 1-4 are lacking the slipcase, the boards of volume 4 are partly detached from the bookblock. The leaves of volumes 5 and 6 are somewhat browned and foxed. Otherwise in good condition. Grand-Carteret, 1480.