Paris (France)

First edition.
With photographs hors texte.
A small tear glued to foot of spine slightly warped.

First edition.
With photographs to and hors texte.
A good copy.

The rare first edition, one of the most sought-after of Balzac’s major novels according to Clouzot.
Contemporary half speckled sheep over marbled paper boards, gilt fillets to spine.
A little occasional spotting, a short-margined copy.
Provenance: from the library at the Château du Lac Tegern (Tegernsee), which belonged to Prince Charles-Theodore of Bavaria (1795-1875). Charles-Theodore of Bavaria, the son of the first King of Bavaria, Maximilian I, was "Generalfeldmarschall" and personal councilor to the King of Bavaria (stamp: "S.K.H.D Prinzen Carl V. Bayern Güter Administration Tegernsee").
A rare copy with a princely provenance in a strictly contemporary binding.

First edition printed on vergé d'Arches paper.
Small tears, not serious, to edges of covers, a trace of vertical fold to upper cover, otherwise a rare and good copy.

First edition.
Illustrated with 8 plates hors texte and 5 maps.
A good copy.

First edition for which there were no large paper copies.
Spine and covers slightly and marginally sunned, not serious, internally good.

First edition printed on vergé de Lana paper.
Small marginal tears to spine and covers, spine cracked, internally good.

2 volumes in 1.
The first edition of only 150 copies, rare and very sought-after (Clouzot), of this essay written by Stendhal in Milan after his meeting in 1818 with Mathilde Dembrowski (1790-1825), the woman he loved the most sincerely and whom he never saw again after her departure from Italy in 1821. She features in the work under the name of Léonore.
Contemporary half caramel calf over speckled paper boards, restored. Re-backed to match original, the spine with gilt and blindstamped fillets, marbled pastedowns and endpapers.
Lacking final leaf with printed titles to cut out.
An important copy, presented by Stendhal to Paul-Émile Daurand Forgues (known as ‘Old Nick', 1813-1883). His son, Eugène Daurand-Forgues, added a note on one of the endpapers (along with his ex libris): “This copy is the one mentioned in the letter from Beyle to E.D. Forgues on the 29^th January 1842.” In this letter, Stendhal wrote: “The paper will be less horrid once you've had the volumes bound and knocked them about a bit. My indifference to my share made me hand in the manuscript and not worry about the quality of the paper. I'm afraid M. Buloz won't get rid of the printer – they told me three years ago he was jealous.” It is easy to be surprised by the author's remarks on the quality of the paper, since the book was printed on vergé. Along with this letter, sent two months before his death to his friend Paul-Émile Daurand Forgues, Stendhal sent – as a sort of testament - the present copy of De l'Amour [On love]. The letter is published in la Pléiade's edition of Stendhal's Correspondance III, pp. 514-515 ; see also Lucien Pinvert, Un ami de Stendhal, le critique E. D. Forgues, Paris, Leclerc, 1915, pp. 19-20.
Stendhal and Daurand Forgues met at the Cercle des Arts, established in 1836 by Prosper Mérimée and his friends. In charge of the literature section of the liberal newspaper Le Commerce under the pseudonym of Old Nick, the young critic supported Stendhal's novels and the two men became friends. The writer also presented him with an inscribed copy of La Chartreuse de Parme.
A very attractive copy with a remarkable provenance.

First edition, first printing (no edition stated), retaining both portraits of Mozart and Rossini as the frontispieces of each volume
Contemporary Italian brown marbled paper, author's name and red morocco titlepiece to spine, green morocco library label to foot, red speckled edges
Library stamps to endpapers and title, annotations in biro to verso of final page of contents: "collection musicale André Meyer
T5 10 1974"
Discreet and skillful repairs to joints, light foxing (not serious).

First edition for which there were no large paper copies.
Autograph inscription from Eugène Ionesco to Madame R. Schmidt.
A good copy.

First edition for which there was no mention of large paper copies.
With a frontispiece etching.
A good copy.

First edition, one of 1040 numbered copies on pur fil.
A good set.

First edition, one of 12 numbered copies on Japon, tirage de tête after 8 Chine.
A trace of fold at head of upper cover, two small glued tears to head and spine of the lower cover, good copy with edges preserved.