The books and their markings will have to wait. It seems that theory goes before research, which is not so much surprising as regretful, having had a glimpse of all the wonderful material lying there waiting for me in the dungeons of the U.v.A.
Initial catchwords for the U.v.A. search machine: 16th century Lyon, Humanism(e), Renaissance. I prefer a systematic approach and will leave the marginalia for now. And so, here I am, confronted by a pile of French and English secundary literature with interesting titles such as Intellectual Life in Renaissance Lyon and L'humanisme lyonnais au XVIe siècle. Promising titles which will hopefully provide me with meaningful background for my research.
My eye is caught by an article on Maurice Scève (c.1500-c.1564). Does the U.v.A. collection also include work by him I wonder? Alas! Only twentieth reprints! Internet research produces an Italian antiquarian bookdealer who has a copy of the magnificant entrance of Henry II and Catharina de Medici in Lyon for sale: Scève's La Magnifica et Triumphale Entrata printed in Lyon 1549 by Guillaume Rovillé. Maybe the University could be persuaded that their Lyon collection would not be complete without a contemporary edition of this famous Lyonnese poet's work. The selling price is € 10.500... My first reaction: these Italian bookdealers, their prices are too much! But, further research reveals that only later, nineteenth and twentieth century critical editions of Scève are momentarily offered for sale. Might contemporary copies of Scève's work be that scarce?
One minute I am immersed in an article, the next, curiosity driven research. Did I not mention that earlier?