Armand Magnier

First separate edition and first illustrated edition of this famous short story which first appeared in Les soirées de Médan in 1880. The illustration contains 58 compositions by François Thévenot engraved on wood by A. Romagnol, a frontispiece portrait, 7 plates and 47 in-text compositions. Limited to 300 numbered copies, one of 40 copies on handmade laid paper additionally containing a separate suite on China paper of the illustrations and a triple suite of the plates (2 of which on China paper). The portrait of Maupassant is also printed in 3 states, 2 of which on China paper.
Contemporary half tawny marbled calf binding with corners signed at the top of the first endpaper Baillot. Spine with 4 raised bands decorated with romantic tools, roulette at foot, fillets. Gilt title. Top edge gilt. Covers and spine preserved. The tissue guards, reduced in size compared to the leaves, have created on the laid paper an occasionally browned border. Apart from this minor flaw, a very fresh copy. Surface wear along the upper joint, the leather being exposed without glaze. 3 small chips on the spine and along the lower joint due to surface wear, the glaze having disappeared in these spots. Perfect freshness of the paper.
Fine copy.

MAUPASSANT Guy de & THEVENOT François. Boule de suif [Ball of Fat]
Armand Magnier, Paris 1897, 16,5 x 26 cm, contemporary morocco with custom slipcase
First separate edition of this short story, illustrated with 58 original compositions by François Thévenot, wood-engraved by Romagnol, one of 50 numbered copies on vélin de cuve paper.
Superb contemporary Art Nouveau dark blue morocco by Bretault, spine in six compartments, with red morocco listels forming compartments decorated with tracery, gilt roulettes to head- and tail-pieces, covers with large central red morocco listel and tracery matching spine, silk endpapers, triple gilt fillet and garland frame to pastedowns of light brown morocco with olive morocco listels and beige morocco inlays making up a vegetal border, marbled additional endpapers, double gilt fillets to edges of covers, covers preserved, top edge gilt, marbled paper slipcase edged in red morocco.
Ex-libris to one pastedown.
This copy retains, as called for in the justification, its double suite of illustrations: one in the text and the second a separate suite on Chine paper.
This copy is additionally enriched with:
– a quadruple suite of all the hors-text illustrations and the portrait, the first a part of the series on vélin paper, the second an artist's proof, the third noted an artist's proof on Chine paper and the fourth smoke-printed on Japon silk paper (hand-printed proofs made by the engraver and reserved for the 400 Francs copies).
– a separate artist's proof of the color image of the cover, which is very rare,
– an original watercolored drawing of the engraving on page 3 (engraved reversed). The drawing has left an ink stain on the facing page.
– the same engraving smoke-printed on Japon tracing paper, as well as two others from the text and the title vignette
– an additional frontispiece
– the illustrated catalog of the volume
– an autograph letter signed by François Thévenot and mounted on guards
– an autograph letter signed by Gustave de Maupassant, brother of Guy de Maupassant, relating to the edition and mounted on guards.
A magnificent and unique copy in a spectacular, stunning Art Nouveau binding by Bretault.