Prosper MÉRIMÉE

First edition.

Bound in black half shagreen, spines with five raised bands decorated with gilt garlands, gilt dates at foot, marbled paper boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt edges.

Some foxing, mainly at the beginning and end of the volumes.

Preface by Prosper Mérimée.

Illustrated edition with 12 original color compositions by Edouard Chimot, one of 50 numbered copies on Rives wove, deluxe issue after 23 other copies on Rives wove.
Half orange-red morocco over corners, smooth spine, illustrator’s name gilt at foot, gilt fillet framing on vellum-style paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original covers preserved, all edges gilt, slipcase edged in orange-red morocco with marbled paper panels and interior, binding signed Vassière, binder in Castres.
This copy includes the additional suite of the illustrations in black, as stated in the colophon.
A fine copy, handsomely bound.

First edition, from Balzac's printing house. Between 1826 and 1828, Balzac purchased a printing house and partnered with a typographer, but the enterprise went bankrupt in 1828. Books printed for Balzac show a concern for typography and fine book production.
Bound in half burgundy long-grain morocco with corners ca. 1840. Spine with raised bands decorated with 5 tools, blind and gilt fillets, head and tail rolls. Double fillet border on boards and corners. Some scattered browning.
Louis Gillet bookplate.
Very fine copy.
La jacquerie and La famille de Carjaval are two dramatic and historical pieces that evoke Schiller's theatre. These dramatic scenes were intended to be...

First edition presented in its rare publisher's binding.
Full cream cardboard binding, smooth spine, black frieze border on covers, bookplate pasted on one pastedown. Smooth spine decorated with 2 black fleurons and fillets. Spine slightly yellowed. Upper joint narrowly cracked at head.
Spine and covers lightly browned without consequence, some minor foxing as usual, slight black ink trace on one endpaper. Some light browning on otherwise white paper. Good copy.
The work is illustrated with an engraved portrait on China paper of Hyacinthe Maglanovitch, guzla player. Literary mystification of these Slavic ballads of which only one is authentic: the sad ballad of the noble wife...

Edition illustrated with wood engravings by M. Haumont, one of 730 numbered copies on Arches laid paper.
Handsome copy despite slightly and marginally sunned boards.

First edition.
Bradel binding, red half Russian morocco, smooth spine elaborately decorated in gilt and black, date stamped in gilt at foot, title label in brown morocco, tiger eye patterned boards, yellow endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers preserved, marbled paper slipcase. 
Frontispiece portrait on chine paper of Hyacinthe Maglanovich, a guzla musician.
A very intimate creation by Prosper Mérimée, the Guzla is a literary interpretation of slavic ballads. Only one of them is authentic, titled "the sad ballad of the noble bride".
Handsome copy elegantly bound.


 

New edition.
Half morocco binding with corners in red, spine with four raised bands set with black fillets and decorated with triple black compartments, anthracite grey morocco title-label and author's name, marbled paper boards, combed paper endpapers and pastedowns, top edge gilt, original wrappers preserved, contemporary binding.
Handsome copy beautifully executed of one of the most famous and sought-after titles by Prosper Mérimée, which was immortalized in opera by Georges Bizet.

New edition.
Half red morocco with corners, spine with four raised bands set with black fillets and decorated with triple black compartments, title-label and author's name in olive green morocco, marbled paper boards, combed paper endpapers and pastedowns, top edge gilt, original wrappers preserved, contemporary binding.
Handsome copy, beautifully bound.

First edition.
Half aubergine sheep binding, smooth spine decorated with double gilt fillets, spine faded, marbled paper boards, speckled edges, copy slightly trimmed.
Some foxing.

Illustrated edition with 41 original compositions by Luc-Olivier Merson, one of 200 numbered copies on vellum.
First cover slightly and partially shadowed, endpapers marginally shadowed, handsome interior condition.

Autograph letter signed by Prosper Mérimée addressed to a friend named Pierre (26 lines in black ink) from Cannes during one of his numerous cures as he suffered from asthma.
Prosper Mérimée, ill, is bedridden: "... mes amis m'apportent quelques fois de jolies fleurs. Je serais bien heureux si je pouvais vous en faire part" ["... my friends sometimes bring me lovely flowers. I would be very happy if I could share them with you"] and feels exasperated by the political situation in France: "Aux maux physiques se joint chez moi l'agacement nerveux que me donnent nos affaires...", "L'alliance des légitimistes avec les républicains est de que j'ai vu...

Second edition with some parts in first edition as expanded with two new pieces: "L'occasion" and "Le carrosse du Saint Sacrement".

Half red straight-grained morocco binding with corners signed Blanchetière at the top of the first endpaper. Smooth spine decorated with a large mirror tool and roulettes. Separating fillets on the boards. Very fresh copy, uncut, however some brown spots on Le carrosse du saint sacrement.

Very handsome copy.

Provenance: from the library of Jacques Crépineau, famous collector of Romantic books, with his bookplate. Theater historian and director of the Michodière theater.

This is Prosper Mérimée's first work composed...

Pléiade library edition printed on Bible paper.
Publisher's binding in full green grained sheep, blue top edge, smooth spine decorated with gilt fillets.
Fine copy complete with its cellophane wrapper but lacking its slipcase and dust jacket.

First edition of this work which is one of the “rarest and most sought-after Romantics” (cf Clouzot).
Binding in half burgundy Russian morocco, spine decorated with a gilt cartouche adorned with gilt and black typographic motifs, marbled paper boards, caillouté marbled endpapers, top edge gilt, romantic pastiche binding.
Printed stamp of the bookbinder-seller on the title page.
Half-title page mounted on guards and minor marginal tears restored on some pages.
Rare.

Edition illustrated with 31 original compositions by Gaston Vuillier etched by Omer Bouchery, one of 100 numbered copies on Japan paper containing the etchings in two states.
Full brown morocco binding, spine with five raised bands decorated with triple compartments as well as gilt fillets, gilt date at foot, gilt roulettes on headcaps, frame of quadruple gilt fillets on covers, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, frame of gilt dentelle on pastedowns, double gilt fillets on leading edges, covers preserved, top edge gilt, superb full morocco binding signed by Blanchetière.
Superb copy.
Copy established in a very handsome full morocco binding by Blanchetière.

First edition. The first edition was so rapidly exhausted that a new one had to be printed a few months later.
Contemporary half red shagreen binding. Spine with raised bands decorated with 3 fleurons and blind fillets, gilt title and volume number. Some traces of rubbing. Handsome copy, almost free from foxing, with fresh paper.
These famous letters were addressed to Jenny (Jeanne Françoise) Dacquin from 1841 to 1870, the last of which was written two hours before the author's death. Hippolyte Taine's preface constitutes one of the first and best testimonials about the writer. While Mérimée complained of being unable to devote time to a true work, he unknowingly conceived his...

First edition.

 

Half-shagreen binding of the late 19th century. Smooth spine decorated with repeated romantic tooling, title and date in gilt. Top edge gilt. Spine uniformly sunned. Light scattered foxing. 

Bookplate with crowned cipher, Alfred and Blanche de Curzon.  Alfred de Curzon was a French painter, deceased in 1895.

This collection contains important short stories by the author, including Mateo Falcone, L'enlèvement de la Redoute, Vision de Charles XI, Le vase étrusque...

New edition of this tribute to Stendhal by Prosper Mérimée, one of 1200 numbered copies on alfa paper, the only issue with 10 Madagascar and 20 pur fil.
Some foxing mainly at the end of the volume.

Pléiade library edition printed on Bible paper.
Publisher's binding in full green grained sheep, smooth spine decorated with gilt fillets, blue top edge, complete with its glassine, dust jacket and slipcase.
Handsome copy.

Illustrated edition with 110 original compositions by Edouard Toudouze, one of 75 numbered copies on Japan paper containing an additional state of the illustrations, the only deluxe copies after 25 on China paper.
Half turquoise cloth binding with corners, smooth spine decorated with gilt floral motif, gilt date and double fillet at foot, chocolate brown morocco title label, marbled paper boards, covers and spine preserved, contemporary binding.
Some minor foxing of no consequence.
Handsome copy.

First edition very sought-after according to Clouzot.
A little light spotting, two ink stains on title and half-title page.
Rare copy in its original wrappers.

New edition with some parts in first edition as revised and corrected.
Half green shagreen binding, smooth spine decorated with double gilt compartments embellished at angles with gilt typographical motifs, green watered silk boards with some rubbing, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, speckled edges.

Sixth edition with some parts in first edition as entirely revised.
Half brown calf bindings, smooth spines ornamented with gilt dots, brown morocco title-labels and author's name, gilt friezes at head and foot, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, speckled edges, elegant contemporary bindings.
The text is preceded by a study on Mérimée by Hippolyte Taine.
Handsome copy free from any foxing and perfectly established.

First edition.
Bound in half straw yellow shagreen, spines with five raised bands set with black fillets decorated with double black compartments at whose centers the gilt cipher of the great bibliophile Roger de Cormenin is repeated four times, navy blue morocco title and volume labels, light scratches of no consequence at head of joints, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, top edges gilt, near-contemporary bindings.
Work illustrated with two portraits of Prosper Mérimée by A. Leveille as frontispieces to the volumes.
Provenance: from the library of Roger de Cormenin, son of Louis de Cormenin who was the confidant and secretary of Théophile Gautier and...

First edition.
Bradel binding in full cherry red cloth with flaps, smooth spine, date and place gilt at foot, brown shagreen title-label, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, contemporary binding.
Handsome copy almost entirely free of foxing.

Edition with illustrations by Jean Traynier, printed in 425 copies, ours, one of the 325 numbered on Arches vellum unnumbered, includes a manuscript justification by the illustrator: "Exemplaire d'artiste réservé pour Monsieur ... avec la sympathie de l'illustrateur." ["Artist's copy reserved for Mister ... with the illustrator's regards."]
It is also enhanced with an autograph dedication page by Jean Traynier and 20 original watercolors by the artist in the text margins.
Spine of the chemise slightly faded.
Beautiful illustrated adaptation of Jean Traynier's etchings, superbly heightened with watercolors by the artist.

First edition of the author's third work, printed by Honoré de Balzac.
Black paper boards, smooth spine, tan sheep title-label with two small angular lacks, one joint slightly cracked then reglued at head, red edges, modest contemporary binding.
Handsome interior condition.

First edition for each volume.
Full brown morocco bindings, smooth spines double framed in gilt, headpieces lined in gilt, boards elaborately framed in gilt, beige morocco pastedowns framed in gilt, brown moiré silk free endpapers, following free endpapers in mould made paper, all edges gilt, original soft covers preserved, superb contemporary bindings signed by M. Lortic.
The first volume contains two original ink drawings by Prosper Mérimée: the first, captioned and signed in the lower right corner depicting the Duke of Brunswick, the second a tree and a wooded landscape with a handwritten inscription in Russian "Grâce à Dieu" and "Gloire à Dieu, gloire à...

Second edition, the first having been printed in only 3 copies, this one of 100 copies on vergé paper, the only printing with 9 on China and 20 on Hollande.
Contemporary Bradel binding in half indigo paper over marbled paper boards, spine with double gilt fillets, head of spine slightly rubbed.
Small wormholes to endpapers, otherwise internally good.
Rare.

First edition.
Half caramel sheep binding, smooth spine decorated with gilt and blind fillets showing some rubbing.
Work written in collaboration with Albert Lenoir and Charles Lenormant.
Rare work dealing with Gallic, Roman, Greek, and Christian monuments and illustrated with in-text engraved figures.

New edition.
A repaired tear at head of spine, some foxing.

New edition.
Half morocco binding with corners in red, spine with four raised bands set with black fillets and decorated with triple black compartments, olive green morocco title-label and author's name, marbled paper boards, combed paper endpapers and pastedowns, top edge gilt, original wrappers preserved, contemporary binding.
Handsome copy beautifully executed of one of the rarest and most sought-after titles by Prosper Mérimée.

New edition.
Half red morocco with corners, spine with four raised bands set with black fillets and decorated with triple black compartments, title-label and author's name in bottle green morocco, marbled paper boards, combed paper endpapers and pastedowns, top edge gilt, original wrappers preserved, contemporary binding.
Handsome copy, beautifully bound.

Full-length carte-de-visite albumen photograph of the writer Prosper Mérimée (in formal dress with top hat) by Disdéri, who himself developed this carte-de-visite process in 1854.
Photograph mounted on card bearing the name Disdéri et Cie. Photographer's advertisement on verso, at the address on boulevard des Italiens. Fine impression.
This sitting at Disdéri's studio produced several photographs of the writer, in slightly different poses. No trace of this photograph can be found in public institutions.

La Pléiade library edition printed on Bible paper.
Publisher's binding in full green grained sheep, blue top edge, smooth spine decorated with gilt fillets.
Handsome copy complete with its acetate cover, dust jacket and slipcase.

First edition of this reprint on vellum intended for the edition of Don Quixote by Sautelet and reproduced in 1874, in Portraits histoirques et littéraires.
It is the second writing by the young Prosper Mérimée after Clara Glazul's Theater published the previous year without an author's name and with an epigraph borrowed from Miguel de Cervantès.
Binding in half morocco long grain mint with corners, back with five fine nerves decorated with double golden threads with a slight snag, framing of golden threads on the plates of marbled paper, guards and counterplates of blue paper, golden head, binding of the 'time.
Rare autograph copy of Prosper...

Illustrated edition of a frontispiece and 19 drawings by Yves Brayer, one of 15 numbered copies on Japan Ot-Su-Ki, leading print after 1 Auvergne.
Nice copy.
Preface by Henri de Montherlant.
The book is full of his suite of 16 bullfighting boards presented in a separate folder.
Handwritten signature of Yves Brayer to the justification of the draw.
Our copy is enriched on a guard volume of text, a beautiful watercolor original Yves Baryer he signed and representing a bullfighter brandishing his muleta.

First edition.
Autograph inscription from Prosper Mérimée : "Amicissimo F. Michel. P.M."
Small angular repairs to the spine, one clear spot to upper cover, a good copy with hardly any spotting.

First edition.
Contemporary half red shagreen over marbled paper boards, spine in five compartments with double blindruled compartments, gilt fleurons at their centre, gilt date to foot of spine, one joint slightly rubbed, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, lower corners bumped.
With drawings hors texte and to text by Eugène Delacroix, Edouard Manet, Prosper Mérimée, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, Ok'Sai, Grandville, and so on.
A little spotting principally affecting first few leaves.
Retaining its rare bande annonce (advertising strip) and a portrait of Champfleury tipped in.

First edition, second edition statement.
Bound in red half roan, smooth spine tooled with blind fillets, as part of red morocco boards of red cardboard, guards and contreplats of handmade paper, preserved covers, mottled head, contemporary binding.
Signed autograph Champfleury to Aglaüs Bouvenne.
Book illustrated in drawings and Inserts Eugène Delacroix, Edouard Manet, Prosper Mérimée, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, Ok'Sai, Grandville ...
Rare spots without gravity.
Provenance: Library of Aglaüs Bouvenne with his bookplate pasted on a contreplat.

Edition with original woodcuts by Jean Chièze of 310 numbered copies on vélin d'Arches paper à la cuve.
A good copy.

Edition illustrated with 8 original watercolors Bahamontès Miquel, one of five numbered copies on Arches paper large, deluxe edition after 8 pearly Japan and some trade off Arches paper reserved for employees.
Our copy, as it is stated in the justification of the draw, well behaved following the illustrations and an original drawing with a pencil Miquel Bahamontès he signed.
In addition, our copy is exceptionally enriched in a second original pencil signed by Miquel Bahamontès.
Handwritten signature of the illustrator to the justification of the authenticity certificate.
Beautiful copy.

Edition with original woodcuts by Gaston Nick, one of 250 numbered copies on vélin de Rives paper.
Preface by Pierre Bonardi.
A very good copy.