A. Levavasseur

First edition, untrimmed with wide margins, very rare and highly sought-after (see Clouzot, "Le manuel du bibliophile français", p. 257).

 

Some occasional foxing.

Illustrated on the title pages of both volumes with two engraved vignettes by Porrêt. This copy contains the publisher’s notice leaf in the first volume and the author’s note leaf in the second volume.

 

Contemporary red half calf over marbled boards, calf corners, spines ruled in gilt with double gilt panels decorated with typographic gilt tooling, black calf title and volume labels, some minor rubbing to joints, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, lower corners a bit worn, bookplate pasted on the front pastedown of volume one, contemporary bindings.

 

A very rare and desirable copy, entirely untrimmed and preserved in a handsome contemporary binding - an even rarer feature. As noted by Clouzot: "les reliures de l'époque sont le plus souvent assez simples. Donc ne pas se montrer difficile sur la qualité."  ['Contemporary bindings are most often rather plain; one should not be overly particular regarding their quality.']

First edition, "very rare and extremely sought-after" (Clouzot), one of 750 copies on laid paper, with title vignettes engraved by Henri Porret after Henry Monnier.

Skilful restoration of a tear at the foot of a page, with slight damage to a letter. A rare copy with no foxing.

Green half calf binding, smooth spines with arabesques stamped in gilt, black title labels and volume labels; marbled paper boards, spine boards and endpapers, speckled edges, later bindings in the Romantic style.

The first edition, “very rare and extremely sought-after” (Clouzot). One of 750 copies, title vignettes by Henry Monnier.

Romantic pastiche binding of half pink calf over marbled boards with small corners, the spine with four delicate crimped raised bands (very lightly sunned) with gilt filets and blindstamped typographic motifs, gilt garlands at head and foot, marbled endpapers.

Le Rouge et le Noir, begun during the Restoration, was only completed four months after the Revolution of July 1830 and did not appear until the final weeks of that year. While all the critics at the time praised the exceptional qualities of the novel, even the most laudatory were shocked by its lively critique of society and of the Jacobinism of Julien Sorel.
A superb copy of the first edition, complete with publisher's advertisement leaf, of this great classic of French literature. A broad-margined copy (126 x 210 mm) in an attractive Romantic pastiche binding.