Dear Mr. Haukefaer,  You wrote:

> I have an old French music book from the first half of the seventeen
> century.  I am wondering if you could tell me anything about it, how
> much it could be worth, and if it was meant for the common market or
> the upper-class.  The book has been in my family for over 40 years and
> has been enclosed in its hardcover for the whole time.  It's in very
> good condition.  Here are some photographs of the book.  Please review
> them!
>
> Thank you.
> Hans P. Haukefær
> Norway
> hape-ha@online.no.geentroep [delete ".geentroep" to reply]

The photo images show a large book with nine short verses and accompanying
color illustrations, beautifully lithographed, and on one surface of
the book are seen nine pull-strings.  The title page is in French:

  Le livre d'images parlants
  pour amuser les chers bébés
  Un livre nouveau avec des voix caractéristiques
  Breveté
  TB

Translated:

  The talking picture book
  to amuse the dear babies
  A new book with characteristic voices
  Patented
  TB

There is no mention of a publishing firm, only the initials "TB",
so the talking books probably were not commercially published but
sold directly to wealthy merchants who enjoyed musical clocks and
music boxes.

A talking book like yours was described several years ago in
a short article published in the Journal of the Musical Box Society,
International (MBSI).  I spoke today with the author, Mr. Robin Biggins
of California, who told me the book was produced in Germany, circa
1900, in English, French and German versions.  He has the English
version in his collection.

The pull-strings operate tiny bellows that propel air through vibrating
metal reeds, each fashioned differently according to the sound of the
animal of the verse and illustration, such as the cuckoo, the lamb,
the cow, and so on.  The cuckoo sound is a slide whistle controlled by
cams.  It's all very clever, he says, but a bit difficult to repair
since all the parts are attached with glue.

Mr. Biggins said the books are probably rather rare; those offered for
sale in recent decades were sold for $500 to $1200, the price depending
on the operating condition of the nine "voices".

Best regards,
Robbie Rhodes
Mechanical Music Digest
http://mmd.foxtail.com/Archives/