Alphonse KARR

Autograph signed visiting card by Alphonse Karr on which he has added, recto verso, a few words for the attention of journalist and librettist Philippe Gille, 36 lines in purple ink.
Envelope included.
Alphonse Karr solicits his friend the journalist Philippe Gille to allow him to deliver a few articles in order to remedy his pecuniary problems and to come to the aid of his family.

Edition illustrated with 8 hors-texte color plates under tissue guards with captions as well as 150 wood engravings in the text after Adolphe Steinheil, Ernest Meissonier, Paul Gavarni, Charles-François Daubigny and Hercule Louis Catenacci.
Discreet pen annotations by a previous owner in upper left corner of one endpaper.
Half green morocco-grained shagreen binding with corners, spine with five raised bands decorated with gilt floral motifs, marbled paper boards, combed paper endpapers and pastedowns, top edge gilt, binding signed by Mercier.
Handsome copy attractively presented.

First edition of this issue of the magazine consisting of two folded sheets.
Handsome copy.
On the first, a color woodcut depicting Alphonse Karr by Emile Cohl.
On the following, text by Pierre and Paul in first edition titled "Alphonse Karr".

First edition of this issue of the magazine founded by writer Félicien Champsaur and illustrator Alfred Le Petit, consisting of two folded sheets.
Handsome copy.
On the first, a color woodcut depicting Albert Robida by Alfred Le Petit.
On the following, text by Félicien Champsaur in first edition titled "Albert Robida".

first edition.
Binding to bradel right fabric, smooth back and cleared insolated, as part of black shagreen with traces of friction and marginal snags, preserved covers, marbled head bookplate pasted on a contreplat signed binding Jarrigeon.
Our copy is enriched with a handwritten autobiographical note of Alphonse Karr, a page and a tab mounted head of the book: "... Son of Henry Karr born in Munich or Zweibrucken (Bavaria). AK .. does not appear to conscription ... It has always been considered french ... "
Book illustrated with a portrait of the author as a frontispiece.
Some foxing.

First edition, richly illustrated with 75 hors-texte plates, principally by Gavarni, including 4 music plates framed with wood engravings by Bertall and several compositions by Bertall. Very numerous vignettes by Monnier, Français, Daubigny... The compositions with multitudes of vignettes by Bertall on subjects such as evenings at the opera, Paris by night... which constitute the ensemble of Paris comique are particularly delightful. This edition is rarer than le Diable à Paris.
Contemporary green half-shagreen. Smooth spine decorated with series of romantic tools in compartments. Green corsillonné paper boards. Borders rubbed and corners slightly bumped. Some scattered foxing, principally in the outer margins, on good white paper. The text jumps from p. 5 to 41 without loss, the text continuing. Good copy.
Portrait of Paris, in all its aspects, at the beginning of the Second Empire, Le tiroir du Diable sails on the success of le Diable à Paris with the same collective for texts and illustrations. One notes the presence of Balzac's text: Physiologie des boulevards, two texts by Sand and one by Musset. The other collaborators being celebrated litterateurs of this period, Edouard Ourliac, Frédéric Soulié... At the beginning of the work, Lavallée's text on the geography of Paris (which was also present at the beginning of le Diable à Paris). At the end of the work, statistics of Paris, the work always wanting to be both entertaining and informative. In this regard, all the texts, satirical or not, of the work are more or less of journalistic character, but as journalism was then practiced under the Second Empire. The work concludes with the statistics of Paris.

Illustrated edition including 29 hand-colored wood-engraved plates by Geoffroy after Grandville for the first volume, and for the second volume 23 hand-colored wood-engraved plates by the same artists as well as 2 botanical plates in black illustrating the physiology of plants, "Horticulture des dames," and "Culture des fleurs." Plates for this new edition have been recoloured by Maubert, making the tones fresher and more contrasted than the first edition. 3 pages of musical scores for the romance titled "Le myosotis".
Contemporary green half shagreen binding, raised bands decorated with gilt fleurons and fillets, covers stamped in blind, marbled paper endpapers and flyleaves, some light wear to extremities. Foxing mostly not affecting the plates. Small lack of illustration on the frontispiece of the second volume due to an adhesive.
Texts by Alphonse Karr, Taxile Delord and Count Foelix.
One of Grandville's most famous suites of engravings, known for the extravagance and grace of his flower-ladies, the most curious of his botanical books.

KARR Alphonse & DELORD Taxile & Comte FOELIX
illustrated by GRANDVILLE Jean-Jacques
Les Fleurs animées [Animated Flowers]
Garnier frères, Paris 1867, 17 x 27,5 cm, navy-blue half shagreen
Edition illustrated by Grandville with 29 insert watercolor plates in the first volume, and 23 insert watercolor plates and 2 black plates in the second.
Navy-blue half shagreen, spine divided into five compartments with curved fillets, gilt double fillets and floral motifs to compartments, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, one corner frayed. Occasional spotting, a transparent dampstain at the base of all leaves in the first volume.
Text by Alphonse Karr, Taxile Delord, and Comte Foelix.

Edition, but first for many parts.
A good copy with practically no foxing.