Das Erste [Der ander] theil Teutscher Nation Heldenbuch: Jnn diesem werden aller Hochuerruempten Teütschen personen / Geistlicher vnd Weltlicher hohen vnnd nideren staths / Leben vnnd nam̃hafftige thaten gantz warhafftig beschriben / welliche durch j

Two parts (of three) in one volume, folio (322x199 mm). [20], 403, [1]; [12], 591, [13] pp. Collation: *⁶ +⁴ a-z⁶ A-K⁶ L⁴ (leaf L4v balnk); *⁶ a-z⁶ A-Z⁶ Aa-Bb⁶ Cc⁸ Dd⁶ (leaves *6v, Cc8v, and Dd6v are blank). A third part (Der dritte vnd letste Theil) appeared in 1570 is not present here. Title pages with woodcut printer's device on the recto and portrait of Pantaleon on the verso. With hundreds of woodcut portraits depicting each figure described in the book and with several genealogical charts printed in landscape. Contemporary blind-stamped pigskin over wooden boards, spine with four raised bands and inked title, metal clasps preserved (slightly rubbed and worn, cut to the skin on the back panel). Some occasional light browning, a few marginal tears, small worm track to the final leaves not affecting the text, all in all a very good, genuine copy.

Provenance. From the private library of Adolf Hitler at the Berghof (on the front flyleaf stamp of the French 2^nd Armored Division and signature of Lieutenant Colonel Marc Rouvillois: “Cette pièce provient des collections personnelles d'Adolphe Hitler au Berghof. Berchtesgaden 4-5-1945”).

On April 21, 1945, the 2^nd Armored Division, commanded by General Leclerc, was placed under the command of the U.S. 21^st Army Corps and crossed the Rhine. Its mission was to capture Berchtesgaden. This village in the Bavarian Alps is located about thirty minutes from Salzburg and approximately two hours from Munich. The town itself was of lesser importance than the Berghof, one of Hitler's main residences, and, a few kilometers away, the chalet known as the “Eaglès Nest” (Kehlsteinhaus). As the Americans on the ground seemed to be unaware of this, the 2^nd Armored Division acted quickly amid the rivalry between the two allies and took possession of the Berghof. In addition to the vacation homes of Adolf Hitler and Hermann Göring, the Berghof also included tunnels dug deep into the rock, a house belonging to Martin Bormann, an army headquarters, an annex of the Foreign Ministry, telecommunications centers, garages, hotels, tennis courts, and golf courses, all secured by SS barracks. While touring the buildings and underground tunnels, the French helped themselves to bottles, silverware, rugs, books, and all sorts of objects engraved with the initials “AH.” About twenty trucks were loaded with champagne and hundreds of cases of cognac. In response to instances of individual looting, General Philippe Leclerc issued an order to gather the confiscated goods and draw up an inventory; the order was carried out by Lieutenant Colonel Marc Rouvillois. A stamp reading “Second Armored Division” was produced on May 4, 1945, to mark the goods recovered at the Berghof. The plan was to distribute some of these items to the troops as a reward for the soldiers and to send the rest to institutions in France. Marc Rouvillois was a close associate of General Leclerc; both had attended the Saint-Cyr Military Academy together as part of the 109^th class (1922-1924) and both served in the cavalry. A trusted aide to the commander of the 2^nd Armored Division, Rouvillois was one of only two officers for whom Leclerc asked General de Gaulle to grant an exceptional promotion to the higher rank of colonel. But, despite the victory and high morale, relations on the battlefield between the French and the American allies were deteriorating. To be the fir