Belles reliures

A handsome illustrated edition and one of the first printed by Gabriele Giolito de Ferrari, dedicated to the Dauphin of France. It has a superb engraved title with Giolito's printer's device (a phoenix being reborn from its ashes on a globe marked with the printer's initials), 56 attractive woodcuts and numerous large ornate capitals, as well as a portrait of Ariosto after Titian in a medallion at the end of the poem, and two states of the printer's device.
The end of the work is made up of a vocabulary of obscure words and an explanation of the difficult passages in the work compiled by Lodovico Dolce, with a separate title and not included in the pagination. Giolito published more...

HUGO Victor
La Pitié suprême [The Supreme Compassion] Calmann Lévy, Paris 1879, 150 x 240 mm (5 15/16 x 9 7/16 ”), half shagreen
First edition.
Elegant half dark blue shagreen over marbled paper boards by René Aussourd, spine in four compartments with gilt dots and double gilt compartments containing horizontal arabesques and gilt stars, date and “ex. de J. Drouet” in gilt at foot, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, covers and spine preserved (marginal repairs to covers), top edge gilt, ex-libris of Pierre Duché on one endpaper.
An exceptional presentation copy, inscribed by Victor Hugo to Juliette Drouet, the love of his life: “The first copy...

First edition on ordinary paper.
Contemporary half cloth adorned with arabesques over marbled paper boards, spine with gilt fillets and olive-green shagreen title-piece (repair to edges), marbled pastedowns and endpapers, one lower corner rubbed.
Autograph inscription from Guy de Maupassant to monsieur Caron.

First edition in French, printed on vergé paper.

Publisher's Arabesque yellow paper binding by A. Lenègre, spine with gilt, black, and turquoise Arabic decorative motifs (head- and tail-pieces slightly rubbed), upper cover richly ornamented with Arabic decorative motifs in gilt, black and turquoise with a frame of gilt and black fillets, turquoise paper pastedowns and endpapers (corners slightly bumped), all edges gilt, a few small insignificant spots to lower cover.
Text by Alfred Edmund Brehm & Johannes Dumichen.
The work is illustrated with 24 watercolors after nature by Charles Werner.
A few small spots, mostly affecting endpapers.
Rare.

First edition, one of 50 numbered copies on Holland paper, this copy bearing No. 1, the only deluxe copies.

Half dark green morocco binding with corners, spine with five raised bands decorated with gilt stippling and ornamented with double gilt compartments richly embellished with gilt typographical motifs, gilt date at foot, frame of gilt fillets on marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers preserved, top edge gilt retaining its deckled edges, contemporary binding signed by Lancelin.

Handsome full-margined copy in fine condition.
Provenance: from the library of Paul Ollendorff.

Illustrated edition with 59 original woodcuts by Louis-Joseph Soulas, one of 1000 numbered copies on Rives paper.

Half chocolate morocco binding with bands, spine with four raised bands, gilt fillet frames on marbled paper boards, moire paper endpapers and pastedowns, covers and spine preserved (spine with restoration at foot), elegant binding hand-signed by Marot-Rodde.

A handsome copy in perfect condition.

First printing of the illustrated edition. One of 100 copies on Wattman from a special edition of 130 copies. 2 portraits of La Fontaine, one by Flameng, the second by Le Rat, and 12 plates by Emile Adan engraved by Le Rat, printed before letters. Title-pages printed in red and black. "This edition is illustrated with 12 charming drawings by Émile Adam" (Rochambeau). A handsome and refined bibliophile edition, made for late 19th-century collectors.

Contemporary 3/4 morocco binding signed Canape at the top of the first free endpaper. Flat spine, gilt title and volume number. Top edge gilt. Uncut throughout with wide margins. Spine slightly faded. Minor rubbing to the paper of the...