Fine Bindings

Rare first edition (subsequent editions incorporated the successive campaigns, ultimately forming a set of five volumes).

Only two copies of this edition recorded in the CCF (Rouen, Tours).

Nineteenth-century binding in cherry long-grain half morocco with corners, smooth spine ruled in gilt, red paper-covered boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns.

Minor black marks to the spine, a few light spots of foxing.

The attribution to Thomas Graham, Baron Lynedoch (1748-1843), is traditional; if correct, the work is by a participant in the campaign, who embarked relatively late on his military career: in 1795 he was stationed at Gibraltar, but soon wearied of garrison life and obtained leave to join the Austrian army on the Rhine as a British commissioner.

In this capacity he took part in the 1796 campaign and later assisted Wurmser in the defence of Mantua when it was besieged by the French forces of General Bonaparte.

Provenance: from the library of the Château de Sancerre (Marnier-Lapostolle family), with their ink stamp at the upper right corner of the front free endpaper.

First edition of a work by an Illuminist author, also a barrister at the Parlement, known for his licentious and libertine writings, including L'Histoire de Dom Bougre, portier des Chartreux. This work was also at one time attributed to Pierre Lambert de Saumery, who published under the pseudonym "de Mirone."

Midnight blue half morocco with corners, spine with five gilt raised bands decorated with compartments richly gilt with arabesques, fillets and small stars, marbled paper boards framed with gilt fillets, pastedowns and endpapers in combed-pattern marbled paper, pastiche binding signed on the verso of the first free endpaper "Cuzin." Loosely inserted bookplate at the front of the volume, bearing the intertwined initials "DP."

Spine slightly sunned.

Discreet scattered foxing. 

Title page printed in red.

First edition, at one time attributed to Bernard Le Bouyer de Fontenelle, on the loves of a shepherd of illustrious lineage: Mirtil, son of Venus and Adonis. Complete copy with its engraved title page by Louis Legrand and its six plates drawn by Hubert François Gravelot and engraved by Louis Legrand.

Half marbled calf binding, spine with five raised bands decorated with dotted gilt fillets, five compartments richly gilt with fillets and fleurons, pebble-pattern marbled paper boards, red edges, pastedowns and endpapers also in pebble-pattern marbled paper, pastiche binding in fine condition.

A few discreet marginal dampstains.

Rare first edition under this title, complete with the engraved title-page. The first edition of 1607, Remonstrance faicte au Roy Très Chrétien pour la réunion des religions à la foy catholique, was printed in Tournon in only 96 pages. This second edition, of which there were probably two issues from the same bookseller, was substantially revised and enlarged by the author.

Contemporary limp vellum with turn-ins, smooth spine, faded ink manuscript title to spine, original ties present, red speckled edges. Bookplate of the lawyer V[ictor] Duchâtaux, a bibliophile of the second half of the 19th century, to front pastedown. Manuscript ownership inscription dated 1661 at foot of engraved title-page.

Two tiny ink spots on pp. 57 and 209 affecting one letter each, small marginal wormhole on p. 417 not affecting text, a fine copy.

On p. 58, the passage "not in the traditions of the Roman Church! but in their own Bible, which I made the judge of all my designs, and the rule of my will" (our own translation) is underlined in brown ink, probably in the same hand as the ownership inscription.

Seventh edition, expanded with new annotations and an appendix containing descriptive and historical details on all the monuments recently erected in the capital by J.-L. Belin, avocat.

Bound in contemporary half midnight-blue Russian morocco, flat spines gilt with romantic arabesques, gilt fillet framing the marbled-paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns; one lower corner lightly rubbed, contemporary bindings.

Scattered foxing.

Illustrated with 58 plates (including 11 archaeological plates), together with 5 folding colour plans hors texte.

A handsomely preserved copy in a period romantic binding.

Third edition, revised, corrected, and enlarged with several important Additions by the author published posthumously, and with Remarks by the Translator (our own translation), with the portrait of John Locke by Godfrey Kneller, engraved by François Morellon de La Cave.

Contemporary full brown calf, spine with five raised bands decorated with gilt compartments, brown morocco lettering-piece, triple fillet border to covers in blind, red edges, marbled pastedowns and endpapers.

Headcaps missing, surface losses to covers and one larger loss to upper left corner of back cover, corners bumped and worn, rubbing to edges with a small loss at foot of front cover, ink gift inscription to first blank leaf.

In this copy: light marginal dampstaining to early leaves and to pp. 53-58 and pp. 463-472, not affecting text.

This volume is enriched with ink annotations: "n°23 =" to verso of front free endpaper, another inscription to recto of second endpaper, and several ink corrections to margins and text at pp. 3, 125, 127, 148, and 269.

Very rare first edition (125 copies printed according to Quérard) of this remarkable exposition of Talma’s dramaturgical principles, still regarded as a “revolutionary” actor despite his immense success (his friendship with Napoleon never wavered); the text was inserted the same year, 1825, at the beginning of the new edition of the Memoirs of Henri-Louis Caïn, known as Lekain (1729–1778), who was still considered in the early nineteenth century as one of the greatest tragedians of the eighteenth century.

See Quérard IX, 333.

Scattered foxing.

Full cherry-red long-grain morocco, smooth spine tooled with gilt fillets, garlands and fleurons, gilt rolls at head and tail, gilt fillet, garland and dotted border together with blind-stamped palmettes on the boards, small black speckling on the front board, blue endpapers and pastedowns, gilt lace border on the pastedowns, gilt fillets on the board edges, all edges gilt, contemporary binding.

A handsomely produced copy in a period Romantic full-morocco binding.

First edition.

With press clippings laid in.

Half bronze sheep binding, spine with four raised bands framed with gilt pointillé and decorated with double gilt fillets, red sheep lettering-piece, a few small black spots and a light scratch to the spine, marbled paper boards, cat’s-eye patterned endpapers and pastedowns, contemporary binding.

A pleasing copy.

New edition, partly original, revised, corrected and enlarged.

Bound in full red morocco, spines with five raised bands decorated with gilt garlands and compartments adorned with crowned “LL” monograms, gilt rolls on the caps, triple gilt fillets framing the covers, gilt armorial stamps of Louis XV at the centre of each board, gilt dentelle border on the turn-ins, gilt fillets along the edges, marbled edges. Slightly rubbed corners. Contemporary bindings.

Some leaves slightly yellowed, minor paper flaw on page 101 of the second volume.

Extensive and highly useful table of contents at the end of the second volume. Jean-Antoine Soulatges, lawyer at the Parliament of Toulouse, who died in that city around 1780, was also the author of a Traité des crimes.

A handsome copy, in red morocco, bearing the cipher and arms of Louis XV (OHR pl. 2495, tools 12 and 30).

Second edition of this monumental work of historiography.

The collation of the text volumes (74 steel-engraved plates) conforms to the list of plates given in volume XX (with the exception of the plate depicting the French before Moscow, which is lacking), but does not match the plate count of the first edition, as certain plates were not reissued. The atlas corresponds to that of the first edition and is complete with its 66 maps.

Some foxing, mainly affecting the edges.

Handsome bindings of red half morocco with corners, the spines with five raised bands and triple blind-ruled compartments, a few minor abrasions without consequence to three spines, marbled paper sides, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt top edges, for the 21 text volumes; and a contemporary binding of red half sheep for the atlas, the smooth spine decorated with gilt fillets and tools, a few black marks to the spine, red paper-covered boards lightly soiled at the margins, corners rubbed.

First French edition, illustrated by Arthur Rackham with 40 mounted color plates on thick brown paper, each protected by a captioned tissue guard, along with 30 black-and-white line drawings within the text, one of the extremely rare 30 copies printed on Japon, signed by Arthur Rackham on the limitation page; the deluxe issue.
Publisher's Bradel binding in full vellum-style boards, smooth gilt-titled spine, upper board gilt-stamped with title and a tree design, top edge gilt; the silk tie on the lower board is lacking.
A very handsome copy, one of the exceedingly scarce Japon copies.

Provenance: manuscript ex-libris on the half-title of Maurice Feuillet, renowned press illustrator, notably for major legal trials, as well as art critic and founder of the Figaro artistique. Feuillet is best remembered for his courtroom sketches during the trials of Émile Zola in 1898 and Alfred Dreyfus in 1899.

Illustrated edition with 13 colour plates on brown paper by Arthur Rackham tipped in with captioned tissue guards, together with 14 black-and-white illustrations in the text by Rackham, including a frontispiece portrait of Alice, one of the very rare 20 copies on Japon, signed by Arthur Rackham on the limitation page, copy from the deluxe issue. A few name copies on the same paper were also issued.
Publisher’s full vellum binding, smooth spine lettered in gilt with a gilt illustration of the Cheshire Cat, upper cover stamped in gilt with the title and an illustration of two fantastic creatures, illustrated endpapers, top edge gilt. Occasional light foxing.
A handsome copy of the most sought-after of Rackham’s illustrated works, one of the exceedingly rare copies on Japon paper.

Provenance: manuscript ex-libris on the half-title of Maurice Feuillet, celebrated press illustrator, notably for major legal trials, as well as art critic and founder of the 'Figaro artistique'. Feuillet remains renowned for his courtroom sketches during the trials of Émile Zola in 1898 and Alfred Dreyfus in 1899.

Illustrated edition with 24 colour plates by Arthur Rackham tipped in with captioned tissue guards, 8 full-page black-and-white illustrations, together with numerous ornaments and vignettes in the text by Arthur Rackham, one of 300 copies printed on vélin à la forme, signed by Arthur Rackham on the limitation page.
Publisher’s Bradel binding in full bright white vellum, smooth spine lettered in gilt, upper cover gilt-stamped with the title and a design of fantastic animals within a vertical gilt rule, illustrated endpapers and pastedowns, top edge gilt, untrimmed edges preserved. 
A very well-preserved copy of Milton's baroque and Dionysian spectacle, superbly illustrated by Rackham.

Provenance: manuscript ex-libris on the half-title of Maurice Feuillet, a renowned press illustrator, particularly noted for major court cases, as well as an art critic and founder of the Figaro artistique. Feuillet is remembered for his courtroom sketches during the trials of Émile Zola in 1898 and Alfred Dreyfus in 1899.

First French edition of the 50 colour plates by Arthur Rackham, tipped in with captioned tissue guards, a black vignette on the title page, and a further black vignette hors texte by Arthur Rackham, one of 200 copies on Whatman paper.
Publisher’s full vellum, smooth spine gilt-lettered, upper cover gilt-stamped with the title and a gilt illustration of Rip Van Winkle, illustrated endpapers, top edge gilt, uncut, original silk ties preserved. Occasional light foxing.

A splendid copy, remarkably fresh, of Washington Irving’s fantastical tale profusely illustrated by Arthur Rackham.

First edition, one of 45 numbered copies on Holland paper, the deluxe issue.

Full chocolate-brown morocco binding, spine with five raised bands framed with black fillets, date gilt at foot, gilt rolls on the caps, marbled paper endpapers and doublures, gilt double fillet borders on the doublures, gilt fillets along the edges, original wrappers and spine preserved, all edges gilt, slipcase edged with matching chocolate morocco, sides in marbled paper, interior lined with grey felt. A splendid binding signed by Semet & Plumelle.

A very handsome copy, perfectly bound in full morocco by Semet & Plumelle.

First edition, of which there were no large paper copies.

Near contemporary red half morocco over marbled paper boards by P. Ruban, spine in six compartments, raised bands bounded by black fillets, date gilt at foot of spine, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, covers preserved, top edge gilt.

Attractive ex libris engraved by Provost-Blondel on pastedown, representing a helmet with a feather, medallion and a strip with the motto “Tojours en face.” The ex libris belonged to Victor Coué, a 2^nd Lieutenant killed in the First World War.
This copy has two frontispieces: one lithograph heightened by Félicien Rops showing a caricature of Barbey d'Aurevilly with the caption “Il n'a pour page que son ombre. TS [his page is none other than his shadow]” and a portrait of the author engraved by Paul-Adolphe Rajon (1843-1888).
This copy is further enriched with the eponymous series of engravings by Félicien Rops done between 1882 and 1886 with a view to a new edition by Alphonse Lemerre.

The meeting of these two major works of literature and history of art from the end of the 19^th century makes for an exceptional and unique copy, since – contrary to what is generally thought – Rops' prints never actually accompanied Barbey's text in a genuine illustrated edition.

The series is composed of three frontispiece plates: La Femme et la folie dominant le monde I et II [Woman and Madness Ruling the World I and II], Le Sphinx [The Sphinx], and six others referring respectively to six of Barbey's short stories and figuring at the beginning of each: Le Rideau Cramoisi [The Cramoisi Curtain], Le Plus Bel Amour de Don Juan [Don Juan's Finest Affair], Le Dessous de cartes d'une partie de whist [The Undersides of the Cards in a Game of Whist], à un dîner d'athées [At an Atheists' Dinner], Le Bonheur dans le Crime [The Joy of the Crime] and La Vengeance d'une femme [A Woman's Revenge].

A very good copy in a practically contemporary binding.

First edition, one of 30 numbered copies on Holland paper, the deluxe issue.
Bound in full ebony morocco, smooth spine decorated with small inlays of garnet morocco and pearl-grey box calf, the latter framing the author’s initials and the title; the first numeral of the date, given in Roman numerals, appears within a square of pearl-grey box calf. Morocco boards framed with wide panels of chocolate suede, the upper cover with a large granulated paper panel lettered with the title and date of the edition set in garnet morocco, the initials framed by a rectangle of paper taken from a map of Haute-Savoie; bluish paper endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers and spine preserved, top edge gilt; housed in a chemise with a rhodoid-backed spine and slipcase trimmed with ebony morocco. Binding signed by Pierre-Lucien Martin and dated 1964.

These “memoirs-autobiography” by Simone de Beauvoir trace her life from her success at the agrégation prepared with Jean-Paul Sartre to the Liberation of Paris in August 1944.

A superb and celebrated binding, produced in a few copies, each differing slightly, by Pierre-Lucien Martin, one of the masters of twentieth-century French bookbinding.

New edition of the French translation established by Amédée Pichot, partly original as it is enhanced with a historical notice on Lord Byron.

Half blue glazed calf bindings, spines partially faded with four raised bands framed by gilt garlands and richly decorated gilt compartments, navy blue glazed calf title and volume labels, blind-stamped floral tools at head and tail, marbled paper boards, gilt fillets at foot, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, marbled edges; a few lightly rubbed corners. Romantic bindings of the period.

Our copy contains 13 engraved plates, some serving as frontispieces.

Scattered foxing, a few leaves browned due to paper acidity.

A copy in an attractive decorative and romantic period binding.

First edition of these significant memoirs by a close companion and comrade-in-arms of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Half aubergine sheep bindings, smooth spines slightly faded and decorated with gilt romantic arabesques, some rubbing with small losses to a few spines and joints, embossed aubergine paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, marbled edges; romantic bindings of the period.

Some foxing, a light marginal dampstain on the final leaves of volume 8.

A pleasant set, attractively bound in contemporary romantic bindings.

First edition of the French translation, one of 75 numbered copies on pur fil, the only deluxe paper issue.

Half brown morocco with bands, smooth spine, date gilt at foot, marbled paper boards, endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers and spine preserved, gilt top edge. An elegant binding signed Alix.

A handsome and carefully bound copy.

Illustrated edition, limited to 68 copies. The illustrations comprise a title-frontispiece, 28 colored vignettes in the text and numerous colored wood-engraved tailpieces by Daragnès after pastels by Anna de Noailles, accompanied by the complete suite of thirty progressive states of a single plate, showing the color breakdown. 

Bound in full lemon morocco, mosaic boards composed of a border of brown morocco fillets in the form of stylized hearts, surrounding two concentric undulating gilt fillet frames, with hearts in brown and teal morocco fillets at the center of the boards, smooth spine with mosaic of brown and teal morocco fillets and gilt dentelle, original boards and wrappers preserved, gilt and mosaic interior dentelle, brown suede guards, slipcase in half lemon morocco with gilt and mosaic smooth spine, boards of wood-grain paper, box edged in morocco with wood-grain paper boards, binding signed by Madeleine Gras. Spine of slipcase slightly faded.

This copy is exceptionally enriched with the following items:

- an original pastel signed by Anna de Noailles (used as tailpiece p. 64)

- an autograph letter signed by Anna de Noailles to La Gandara, concerning Le Cœur innombrable (1 p.)

- 4 autograph poems by Anna de Noailles with additions and corrections: "Chansons pour des jours d'été" (published here under the title "Le Baiser"), "La nuit" published under the title "A la nuit," an untitled poem published under the title "L'ardeur" and "La nature et l'Homme" under the title "Fraternité" (6 pp.)

Ex-libris of Edouard de La Gandara mounted on one of the endpapers. A stage actor under the pseudonym Jean Dara, La Gandara notably collaborated with Sarah Bernhardt, and received numerous books with inscriptions from Colette, Maurice Donnay, the Comtesse de Noailles, and Anatole France.

A richly enhanced copy in a superb mosaic binding by Madeleine Gras.

First edition. Quérard I, 271 lists only one edition: "Paris, Née de La Rochelle, 1789." Kress B.1163; Goldsmiths 13858. Not in Einaudi."

With loose printed title pages for each volume, dated 1789.

The first volume, with an engraved pictorial title after Meunier, contains 52 double-page or folding plates inserted into the pagination, without following its numbering logic.

The second volume has an engraved pictorial title by Zaveris after Meunier and includes 154 etched plates of coins.

Full mottled calf, spines with six raised bands, gilt fillets and double gilt panels, red morocco lettering-pieces, green morocco numbering-pieces, gilt rolls on the headcaps, double blind-ruled borders on covers, marbled endpapers, gilt fillets on edges, marbled edges, contemporary bindings.

Some restorations to the bindings.

Unique edition, very rare (the 1789 printing to which our two additional title leaves would correspond does not seem to be attested despite Quérard’s mention).

An excellent copy on strong vellum paper, large-margined, with the spines elegantly decorated with special gilt tools.

Pirate edition of 1812, imprint dated 1796. It features the exact pagination of the genuine 1796 edition, as well as the 13 plates and 2 frontispieces by Monnet, Mlle Gérard and Fragonard fils engraved by Baquoy, Duplessi-Bertaux, Dupréel, Godefroy, Langlois, Lemire, Lingée, Masquelier, Patas, Pauquet, Simonet and Trière. The pirate edition is identified by the letters “R. p. D.” in the plates' lower margins, as they have been retouched by Delvaux. In addition, the fillet preceding the date on the title-page is wavy, and the title is presented in seven lines rather than eight.

Bound in full morocco, slight rubbing on the corners, all edges gilt, splendid binding signed by Hardy.

A very fine copy in a magnificent decorated full morocco binding by Hardy.

First edition, one of 15 numbered copies on Hollande Van Gelder paper and signed with the publisher's initials.
Full green morocco, the spine in five compartments, the first cover inlayed with a large and superb plate by Marguerite Lecreux of a horn sculpted in Cameo, featuring a sailboat with its sails unfurled, on the calm sea appears an engraved silverfish set under the plate of the horn and visible in transparency, pastedown in silk decorated with a submarine pattern (coral, jellyfish, starfishes and algae) framed in morocco embellished with quintuple gilt fillets, endpages of iridescence cloth, the following pages in marbled paper, the headband highlighted with a double gilt fillets, gilt roulette on the spine head, all edges gilt, typical Art Deco binding (circa 1910-1920) by Noulhac together with Marguerite Lecreux.

The ‘Kehl edition’, the most renowned edition of Voltaire's works, illustrated and published on deluxe paper. It was printed on five different types of paper, and only the deluxe editions, such as ours on laid paper, feature engravings. These are naturally the most sought-after and rarest copies.

Binding in full painted sheep decorated with a “honeycomb” motif, smooth spine tooled with gilt fleurons, fillets and compartments, light beige calf lettering and volume pieces, gilt chain-roll border on covers, marbled endpapers, gilt roll on edges, all edges marbled, contemporary binding. Two volumes (nos. 50 and 70) with slight variations in gilt tools on the spines and with orange morocco lettering pieces, edges and covers treated somewhat differently. General condition of the 70 volumes: bindings with light rubbing to corners, gilt a little dulled, occasional foxing, a few wormholes and old restorations, not affecting the text. 28 volumes (vols. 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 13, 16, 17, 19, 20, 24, 27, 28, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 43, 48, 61, 62, 63, 65, 66, 67, 68, 70) with cracked joints at the ends, and 20 volumes (vols. 8, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 33, 34, 37, 42, 46, 49, 53, 56, 57, 60, 65, 66, 68, 70) with damaged caps.

Two editions were published at the same time. Our copy belongs to the prestigious in-8 edition on large paper published in 70 volumes (the other edition being in-12 format in 92 volumes). It is richly illustrated with 125 etched plates:

- There are 17 portraits, including 3 of Voltaire: a frontispiece portrait by N. de Largillière engraved by P. Alex. Tardieu; one drawn from Houdon's bust by Moreau le Jeune and engraved by P. Alex. Tardieu; and one allegorical portrait by Louis Croutelle after Moreau le Jeune, belonging to the second series of illustrations of Voltaire's works executed by Moreau for the publisher Renouard. The 14 other portraits include an allegorical frontispiece of Frédéric-Guillaume, Prince of Prussia, depicted in profile in a medallion by Dambrun after Moreau le Jeune; a portrait of Henry IV by Pourbus engraved by Tardieu; one of Charles VII engraved after the original in the King's Cabinet by Mavieri; another of Agnès Sorel drawn by Moreau the Younger after the original in the King's Cabinet and engraved by Mavieri; one of Joan of Arc engraved by Beisson; followed by the Count of Dunois engraved after the original in the King's Cabinet by J. B. Fosseyeux; one of Louis XIV drawn by Moreau Le Jeune after C. Le Brun engraved by J. B. Fosseyeux; one of Charles XII engraved by P. Alex. Tardieu after the original in the King's Cabinet; one of Pierre I engraved by P. G. Langlois after a painting by L. Caravaque; one of Madame du Châtelet after Marie Anne Loir and engraved by P. G. Langlois; one of the Count of Argental after J. Defraine and engraved by J. B. Fosseyeux; one of Frédéric II of Prussia painted from life by Van Loo and engraved by P. G. Langlois; one of Catherine II of Russia engraved by J. B. Fosseyeux; and one of d'Alembert after De La Tour engraved by N. F. Maviez.

- 93 engravings by Moreau le Jeune, including 44 figures for le Théâtre (engraved by Lingée, Simonet, de Launay, Trière, Halbou, Duclos, Romanet, Dambrun, de Longueil, Delignon, Le Mire, Le Veau), 10 for la Henriade (engraved by Masquelier, Delignon, Dambrun, Patas, Gutemberg, Helman, Simonet, Duclos, Romanet), 21 for la Pucelle (engraved by Simonet, Dambrun, Halbou, Baquoy, Trière, Delignon, de Longueil, Croutelle and Duclos), 4 for the Contes (in verse, engraved by Langlois, Duclos, Delignon and Le Veau) and 14 for the Romans (engraved by Trière, Duclos, de Longueil, Dambrun, Baquoy, Delignon, Simonet, Langlois and Halbou). 

- 14 scientific plates in volume 31, illustrating the experiments of Newton, Descartes and Leibniz.

- 1 battle plan in volume 24 about the Histoire de l'Empire de Russie sous Pierre le Grand.

According to Bengesco (IV, no. 2142), our copy is missing a portrait of Louis XV in volume 22, as well as a portrait of Voltaire by De La Tour (replaced here in the last volume by an allegorical portrait by Louis Croutelle after Moreau le Jeune). This copy includes all the additional portraits, with the exception of two illustrations that are almost always missing: a portrait of Vertot and an engraving of the Œuvres.

First edition, one of 10 numbered copies on Japan paper, the deluxe issue.
Bradel binding in half chocolate-brown morocco with bands, smooth spine, date gilt at foot, marbled paper boards, brown endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers and spine preserved, gilt edges, binding signed Honnelaître.

First edition.
Elegant half navy blue morocco over marbled paper boards by Pierre-Lucien Martin, spine in six compartments with gilt fillets to bands and geometric decoration of red morocco onlays, date gilt at foot of spine, gilt fillet to boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt dentelle frame to pastedowns, covers and spine preserved, top edge gilt.

A very good copy in a handsome binding. 
Exceptional autograph inscription from Claude Farrère : "A Pierre Louÿs son très petit disciple [To Pierre Louÿs, his very humble disciple]", along with Chinese ideograms.

First edition, one of 10 numbered copies on imperial japon, ours one of 3 hors commerce lettered copies, a deluxe issue following 6 on chine.

Bound in full sienna morocco, flat spine, gilt date at foot, moiré-effect endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillet border on pastedowns, original wrappers and spine preserved (spine restored and backed), gilt edges, chemise edged in sienna morocco, slipcase in wood-effect board with white felt lining, contemporary binding signed by Roger Arnoult.

Our copy is enriched with a one-page signed autograph letter by Jean Cocteau, mounted on a guard, written from La Roche-Posay in Vienne, probably addressed to Pierre Benoit, in which he humorously evokes Charlie Chaplin, his fragile health, and his boredom: "... Me voilà dans ce film de Charlot : \"Charlot fait une cure\" - parmi les clowns et clowneries du mercurochrome... Le docteur H. arrive à éteindre mon fer de travail avec ses pelotes d'épingles aquatiques. Mon ventre gargouille. Si tu venais ce serait une très bonne cure. Que penses-tu de cette publicité pour La Roche : La Roche source d'ennuis."

A handsome copy, finely bound by Roger Arnoult, a graduate of the École Estienne, active until 1980, who collaborated with and worked for the foremost binders of his time such as René Aussourd, Anthoine-Legrain, Paul Bonet, Georges Cretté, Pierre-Lucien Martin...

First edition.

Full red morocco binding, round spine with five raised bands decorated with gilt fleurons, slight rubbing on the caps, double frame of blind-stamped gilt fillets on the covers, with fleurons at the corners of the inner frame, edges slightly blunt, marbled paper endpapers and back covers, gilt edges and heads, very elegant 19th-century binding ‘a la Du Seuil’ signed Quinet on the first endpaper. 

Rare first edition of Chamblain de Marivaux's first theatrical success, The Surprise of Love, published four years before The Second Surprise of Love. This play, performed in the spring of 1722 before being published the following year in 1723, already contains all the essence of Marivaux's style, all its subtle gallantry. According to the Romantic poet Theophile Gautier, it is the author's masterpiece. 

First edition, no copies on deluxe paper issued.

3/4 brown half morocco binding, spine with color restoration, five raised bands framed in black, gilt date at foot, boards, endpapers and pastedowns in wood-grain style marbled paper, covers and spine preserved, gilt edges, an elegant binding signed Alix.

Manuscript ex-libris in black ink and a discreet restoration to the upper right corner of the first endpaper.

Edition adorned with 65 original pochoir coloured illustrations by George Barbier, one of 877 numbered copies on Rives.
Bound in half navy blue morocco, spine in four compartments, gilt date at the foot, marbled paper boards, iridescent effect paper endpapers, wrappers and spine preserved, top edge gilt, binding signed Semet & Plumelle.
Pleasant, attractively set copy.

First edition of the translation by F. de Bretonne, assistant curator at the Sainte-Geneviève Library, based on a comparison of all earlier versions. The work is enriched with a suite of 10 vignettes by Charlet, retaining its original pink paper wrapper with vignette dated 1831; the volume also includes a portrait of Cervantes.

Half long-grain claret morocco binding with corners, signed at the head of the front endpaper S. David, late 19th century. Spine with four raised bands, decorated with complex and stippled tools within compartments. Gilt fillets on the bands. Double gilt ruling along boards and corners. Minor rubbing to some bands, joints, and corners. One corner slightly turned in. Occasional spotting in an otherwise fresh copy.

Original wrappers and spines preserved. Binding executed on untrimmed paper gatherings.

A very handsome copy.

First edition of Breviarum studiosorum, Prague and Nuremberg, Johann Fridriech Rutiger, 1744 [with] New edition of De arte rhetorica. Cologne, Wilhelm Metternich, 1723 [with] Ars rhetorica. Cologne, Wilhelm Metternich, 1725. New edition.

Contemporary German binding in full blonde sheep. Smooth spine richly decorated and unlettered. Boards entirely covered with rococo ornaments forming a decorative composition. Edges gilt. Traces of ties. Lacking at one tie location. Tail slightly and partially worn. 3 corners bumped.

Rich rococo prize binding with very fine arms on the boards.

Armorial copy of Alexander III, abbot of Kremsmünster (Austria), on the upper board, dated 1731, and of the academy of the same institution with the effigy of Saint Agapitus on the lower board, dated 1744. Alexander Fixmilner was abbot of Kremsmünster from 1731 to 1759, he made his abbey one of the most flourishing scientific centers of Upper Austria of his time, and vigorously encouraged the work of his nephew, the celebrated astronomer Placidus Fixlmillner (1721-1791), one of the first to discover the planet Uranus.

It was under the order of Abbot Alexander III that construction began in 1749 on the Tower of Time or Mathematical Tower, the first multifunctional baroque building, comprising nine floors and 45 meters high. Designed to house laboratories and museum collections, beginning on the ground floor with elements relating to geology; climbing the floors one finds physics, botany, anthropology and zoology, astronomy with the Camera of Time, a true meteorological research laboratory. Finally, the tower ends with a chapel and the famous observatory, thus providing a systematization of knowledge, arranged vertically, from earth to sky, therefore toward God.




 

First edition, one of 25 copies on handmade laid paper, numbered and justified by the publisher, the only deluxe issue.
 
Bradel binding in half chocolate-brown morocco with corners, smooth spine, gilt date at foot, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, illustrated wrappers by Manuel Orazi and backstrip preserved.
Work illustrated with 136 black and colour drawings, in- and out-of-text, by Georges Bottini.
 
Bookplate mounted.
 
Our copy is enriched with a full-page original drawing, signed by Georges Bottini and heightened in black ink, depicting Jacques Beaudarmon wearing a bowler hat and conversing with the « môme ». This drawing appears as a woodcut illustration on page 133.
 
The drawing is inscribed by Georges Bottini to M. Casanove « en grande sympathie ».
 
Very rare deluxe copy of Jean Lorrain’s masterpiece.

First edition, one of the rare copies printed on deluxe paper.

Full cherry-red shagreen binding, spine with four raised bands decorated with gilt fillets and triple gilt panels, some rubbing to headcaps and bands, gilt rolls at the headcaps, gilt fillet, dotted and garland borders on the covers, scratches and stains to the lower portion of the front cover, white moiré silk endpapers and pastedowns, gilt garland borders on the pastedowns, all edges gilt, gilt dots on the edges, contemporary binding.

One wormhole at the foot of the final leaves not affecting the text, some foxing, particularly on the white endpapers, library shelf labels pasted on a pastedown.

Important official directory, listing the names and positions of staff of the Chambers of Agriculture and Commerce, the Grandes Écoles, engineers of Bridges and Roads, Mining engineers, Railways, etc.

A copy handsomely preserved in a contemporary binding.

First edition of the French translation by Jean-Baptiste Dupuy-Demportes of the work originally published in 1689 under the title "La Morale dei principi osservata nell'istoria di tutti gl'imperadori, che regnarono in Roma" (cf. Quérard II, 260. Barbier III, 353b. Conlon VII, 54-572. Hoefer XI, 314).

Contemporary full red morocco bindings, spines with five raised bands decorated with gilt fillets and double gilt panels with gilt floral tools, boards framed by gilt roll-tooled floral and bird motifs, gilt fillets on the board edges, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, all edges gilt over marbling.

Some gatherings bound out of sequence in volumes 1 and 3; headcap of volume 4 chipped; a few small wormholes, mostly affecting the lower sections of the bindings.

A handsome copy of this uncommon work.

Giovanni Battista Comazzi (Mantua, 1654 – Vienna, 1711), an Italian historian, poet, and political theorist, presents here a study of Roman emperors from Caesar to Constantius Chlorus: "Il prend les traits principaux de la vie de chaque prince, il en cherche les vues et les causes, et juge, d'après les principes, s'ils ont eu tort ou raison, et pourquoi ; ainsi chaque fait historique donne occasion à une maxime morale" (Nouvelles littéraires, 20 juillet 1754).

First edition.

Bound in full cherry red morocco, smooth spine richly gilt with romantic typographic ornaments, gilt roll tooling on the caps, boards framed with double gilt fillets and interlaced motifs with gilt corner fleurons, gilt AO monogram stamped at the center of the boards, gilt garland border on the pastedowns, moiré sky-blue silk endpapers and pastedowns, trace of a removed bookplate on one pastedown, gilt fillets on the edges, all edges gilt, contemporary binding.

The sections relating to the colonies are as follows: Martinique, pp. 199–203; Guadeloupe and dependencies, pp. 204–209; French Guiana, pp. 210–212; Bourbon, pp. 216–220; French settlements in Oceania, pp. 223–224.

Copy from the library of Antoine-Marie-Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Montpensier (1824–1890), youngest son of Louis-Philippe, with his gilt AO monogram stamped at the center of the boards. OHR 2590 (tool not listed).

A very handsome copy, finely bound in a period romantic binding with the Duke of Montpensier's monogram.

First edition, with a photographic portrait of H.G. Wells as frontispiece to the first volume.

Illustrated throughout.

Some minor foxing, mostly to the edges.

Contemporary black half-shagreen bindings with cornerpieces, spines with three raised bands, gilt-stamped marine anchors at the foot (a few showing some loss), and gilt medallions on the upper boards featuring the ocean liner Normandie with three inlaid red and black shagreen pieces representing its smokestacks; marbled endpapers and pastedowns, with small red dots in the upper corners of the first flyleaves. Bound at the time for the Normandie.

A handsome copy with distinguished provenance.

First edition of the proceedings from the inaugural congress of the newly founded International Maritime Association, established on 16 January 1901.

Contemporary full black shagreen binding, spine with five raised bands framed by gilt fillets and adorned with triple gilt compartments, gilt roll tooling on the caps, covers framed with triple gilt fillets, large gilt armorial stamp and the inscription “A S.A.R. la princesse Waldemar” on the upper board, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt dentelle borders on pastedowns, all edges gilt.

The congress, held in Monaco from 12 to 15 April under the high patronage of Prince Albert I, featured some thirty presentations on topics such as seafarers’ welfare, oceanography, maritime rescue, coastal lighting, yachting, and free ports. A sumptuous presentation copy for Princess Waldemar of Denmark.

Illustrated with in-text figures.

A rare and attractive copy, handsomely bound.

For the first three volumes, first edition, complete with all 84 parts published between February 1842 and October 1843 of this "admirable publication printed on thick vellum paper [...] one of the finest of the 19th century, justly esteemed and comparable to the beautifully illustrated books of the 18th century" (Carteret), (see Carteret III, 143–153; Vicaire II, 234–248).

The first three volumes are bound in full violet morocco, spines with five raised bands bordered with gilt pointillé tooling, compartments richly gilt with double gilt frames, gilt rolls on caps, covers framed with quintuple gilt fillets, gilt monogram MG at the corners, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns framed in gilt dentelle, double gilt fillets on board edges, all edges gilt. Splendid bindings signed by Dunezat, active between 1870 and 1895.

Illustrated by Charles François Daubigny, Ernest Meissonier, Anthelme Trimolet, Adolphe Steinheil, Gustave Staal, Emy, Louis-Léopold Boilly, Charles Edouard de Beaumont, among others.

Texts by Marc-Antoine Desaugiers, Fabre d'Églantine, Pierre-Jean Béranger, André Chénier, Florian, Sedaine, Constance de Salm, Jean-Joseph Vadé, etc., set to music by various composers, including André Grétry, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Étienne Nicolas Méhul, and François-Adrien Boieldieu.

The complete collation is as follows: 1) 5 preliminary leaves (half-title, engraved title-frontispiece, list of songs, introduction by Delloye) and 28 parts of 4 unnumbered leaves each (28 songs, each including a 2-page note, 4 pages of text with illustrations, and 2 pages of music—i.e., 4 unnumbered leaves per song); 2) 5 preliminary leaves and 27 parts of 4 unnumbered leaves each, except for La Parodie de la Vestale, which includes 10 unnumbered leaves; 3) 5 preliminary leaves and 28 parts; 4) 2 unnumbered leaves, engraved frontispiece, xxiv and 224 pages.

The general series wrappers were not bound in this copy, which shows several first-issue points.

Enclosed: bound in violet half morocco with corners, Chansons populaires des provinces de France. Notices by Champfleury. Piano accompaniment by J. B. Wekerlin. Paris, Lécrivain et Toubon, booksellers, 1860, 2 unnumbered leaves, engraved frontispiece, xxiv and 224 pp.

Binding in violet half morocco with corners, spine with five raised bands bordered with gilt pointillé tooling, richly gilt compartments framed in double gilt fillets, marbled paper-covered boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, a few scuffs to board edges and extremities, all edges gilt, an elegant unsigned binding likely attributable to Dunezat, active between 1870 and 1895.

A very handsome set, perfectly bound.

First edition.

Official series not listed in Polak.

Full red morocco binding, smooth spine decorated with gilt Romantic arabesques, gilt roll-tooled bands at head and foot, elaborate gilt quadruple fillet frame, garland and lozenge design with gilt corner motifs on covers, gilt crowned monogram stamped in gilt at center of each board, blue moiré silk endleaves and doublures, gilt dentelle borders on doublures, gilt dotting on board edges, all edges gilt; a superb Romantic period binding.

Copy bearing the crowned monogram "FO" of Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans (1810–1842), eldest son of King Louis-Philippe. 

A very fine copy, beautifully preserved in an outstanding period Romantic binding.

Edition established, annotated, and commented by Le Roux de Lincy and Anatole de Montaiglon. Deluxe printing limited to 395 copies on deluxe paper, this one of 40 on Whatman paper (No. 301), including three suites of the engravings: one in black on Japan paper, one in bistre, and one in sanguine.

Illustrated with a portrait by T. de Mare, a frontispiece by Dunker, and 76 figures after Freudenberg engraved by De Longueil, Eichler, Le Roy, among others. Includes head- and tailpieces. One chromolithographed plate depicting the arms of Marguerite de Navarre. All engravings are presented in three states, except the chromolithograph.

Contemporary full citron morocco binding signed by Allo. Spine with five raised bands, richly tooled with Marguerite de Navarre’s cipher repeated twice and fleur-de-lys motifs, framed in gilt compartments with various decorative tools and fillets. Her coat of arms stamped at the center of both covers, triple gilt fillet border. Lavish gilt dentelle turn-ins. A thin scratch to the lower board of volume II and a small surface crack along the lower joint of the same volume. A very well-preserved copy with only occasional light foxing. Edges untrimmed, causing the engravings to be slightly shorter than the text block.

A magnificent set in a masterly period binding.

First edition, first issue, with every feature described by Cohen. The illustration includes a frontispiece, three dedication plates, four printed titles in red and black with engraved vignette, thirty vignettes, and a fine tailpiece concluding the final volume. In addition, there are 140 engraved full-page plates (including the frontispiece, numbered 2 to 140), by Boucher, Eisen, Gravelot, Leprince, Monnet, and Moreau, and engraved by Baquoy, Basan, Binet, Duclos, and de Ghendt - 48 in the first volume, 33 in the second, 37 in the third, and 22 in the last. The frontispiece, the fleurons in the first three volumes, and the vignettes were drawn and engraved by Choffart. 

The French translation by Abbé Antoine Banier is printed opposite the Latin text. It also contains historical notes by the translator and a Life of Ovid from his writings under the name M. G***. Our copy is complete, including the 'avis au relieur' bound in volume 4. The plates are printed on a cream thick laid paper, while the text appears on fine laid paper.

Full red glazed morocco contemporary bindings, spines with five raised bands elaborately decorated with gilt compartments and fleurons. The set is well preserved overall, with a few scattered spots and light foxing; some plates are slightly browned. To the upper joint of Vol. 3, a small perforation and minor crack.

A truly magnificent publication, pinnacle of 18th-century illustrated works by the engraver Le Mire. Together with the renowned Fermiers Généraux edition of La Fontaine’s Contes, it is undoubtedly the most elegantly illustrated book of this century. The project includes the finest illustrators and engravers, with mythological subjects serving as particular inspiration. Ovid’s timeless masterpiece comprises 246 fables of metamorphoses, from Chaos to the transformation of Julius Caesar into a star, providing a comprehensive repository of Greco-Roman mythology and an inexhaustible iconographic resource for the history of art.

A handsome and exceedingly rare first issue, bound in contemporary red morocco.

Armorial ex-libris of William Vincens Bouguereau (son of the painter), a card of the Baron de Noirmont.

First edition of the bilingual Greek-Latin text of Iamblichus' Life of Pythagoras by Ludolf Küster from the manuscript held at the Laurentian Library. The facing Latin translation is the work of Frédéric Ulrich Obrecht and Konrad Rittershausen. Bound at the end is Porphyry’s Life of Pythagoras.

Illustrated with a large frontispiece portrait of Pythagoras, based on a coin from the collection of Fulvio Orsini.

Contemporary Dutch gilt-panelled vellum boards, spine with 5 raised bands and gilt ornaments with the arms of the city of Amsterdam, large gilt arms of the city of Amsterdam on each board within double gilt floral borders around sides both with incorporated coat of arms of Amsterdam within vegetal ornaments, armorial corner ornaments, speckled edges. Vellum darkened, a 2.5 cm split to the middle of the upper joint, one abrasion and a pale mark to the upper cover, some gilt tooling partially faded,traces of ties, scattered foxing.

Magnificent copy of the Neoplatonist biographies of Pythagoras by Iamblichus and Porphyry, with the arms of the city of Amsterdam featuring the Stedemaagd, the allegorical female figure of the city flanked by cherubs.

First edition.

Bradel binding in full brown roan, flat spine gilt-tooled, covers  with Alfred Piat's gilt monogram in the corners, central gilt stamp of his ex-libris, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, top edge gilt. Contemporary binding for Alfred Piat. Rubbing to corners and lower spine-end, some foxing.

Illustrated with two portraits of Hugo as frontispieces.

The finest copy of this biography of Victor Hugo published during his lifetime, bearing the supralibros of the great bibliophile Alfred Piat.

First edition, only one other copy recorded (BnF).

Full dark purple morocco binding, spine with five raised bands with gilt floral motifs, gilt date at foot, spine slightly faded, covers numerously framed in gilt, gilt-tooled corners each adorned with a blue onlaid morocco medallion stamped with a central gilt fleuron, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, pastedown bookplate of Ernest Stroehlin, inner gilt dentelle, spine-ends ruled in gilt, very light rubbing to corners, all edges gilt. A tiny restored lack of paper to the upper part of the title page, not affecting the text.

Very rare anti-Protestant satire in the form of a dialogue between the renowned Protestant minister Mestrezat and the warden of the Charenton temple where Mestrezat officiated.

First edition, illustrated with 11 plates including a frontispiece. This copy has been enriched with a second frontispiece inserted before the half-title: the frontispiece from the Relation de la bataille de Marengo présentée à l'empereur par le Maréchal Berthier, published in 1808. This image, depicting Napoleon on horseback listening to Marshal Berthier outlining the battle plan held by a guard, has been mounted on red cloth. The booklet contains only a half-title, as the original cover—which has not been preserved—appears to have served as the title page: beneath a central imperial eagle, it simply bore the date and the mention “Paris, En vente chez tous les libraires.”

Volume bearing the arms and cipher of Napoleon III.

Contemporary full red shagreen binding. Spine with raised bands, decorated with five small bees. The upper board features the imperial arms at center, surrounded by the collar of the Order of the Holy Spirit, with four eagles in the corners and multiple frames. The lower board bears the cipher of Napoleon III. Moiré silk endpapers framed by a pattern of stars and circles. All edges gilt. Occasional light foxing.

A very handsome copy.

First edition, one of 110 copies printed on pure Lana wove paper, the only copies on deluxe paper.

Half maroon shagreen binding with corners, spine with four raised bands adorned with black fillets, gilt patterned paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers and spine preserved, top edge gilt.

A handsome copy, finely bound.

First edition, one of 50 copies on pur fil, ours being one of 4 hors commerce copies, the only deluxe papers after 5 hors commerce copies on Arches.

Bound in burgundy half morocco with corners, spine with five raised bands ruled in black, cat's-eye patterned paper-covered boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers and spine preserved, bookplate affixed to a pastedown, top edge gilt, untrimmed. A handsome unsigned binding, likely by Devauchelle.

First edition, very difficult to find complete, as the third volume was published eight years after the first two.

Bound in full mottled bronze-green calf, smooth spines richly decorated with gilt floral compartments, red morocco labels for title and volume number, gilt rolls on the caps, joints slightly rubbed, gilt roll-tooled borders on the covers entirely adorned with oblong geometric patterns in blind, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt Greek-key borders framing the pastedowns, bookplate mounted on the pastedown of the first volume, gilt fillets on the edges, all edges gilt, contemporary bindings.

Contains anecdotes about Rousseau, Poivre, Turgot, Helvétius, Benjamin Franklin, Holbach, Cardinal de La Rochefoucauld, the Marquise de Pompadour, Calonne, Necker, Beaujon…

A handsome copy attractively bound in a period decorative binding.

First edition, one of 100 copies numbered on Renage wove paper, the only deluxe issue.

Bound in burgundy half shagreen with corners, spine with four raised bands ruled in black, date gilt-stamped at foot, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers, gilt top edge.

A handsome copy in an attractive binding.

First edition clandestinely printed in 175 copies on laid paper, each individually numbered.
 
Bound in full mint green morocco, spine with five raised bands framed by black fillets, subtle restoration to spine colour, date gilt at foot, endpapers and pastedowns of combed paper, gilt fillet border on pastedowns, original wrappers and spine preserved, all edges gilt, chemise edged in mint green morocco, covers of cat's eye paper, white felt interior, an elegant binding signed by Alix.
 
A very rare and handsome copy bound by one of the most distinguished binders of the second half of the twentieth century.

 

New edition. A steel-engraved portrait frontispiece, printed on China paper and mounted. Printed in very small type, arranged in two columns.

Full polished blond calf binding, signed by Thouvenin at foot of spine. Smooth spine with blind-stamped Gothic architectural elements heightened with gilt dots, gilt fillets and title. Covers blind-stamped with a large Gothic window surrounded by architectural ornaments. Multiple blind-ruled frames with corner fleurons and gilt fillets. Inner dentelles. All edges gilt. Joints discreetly cracked at head. Some foxing and occasional browning to a few pages. Minor rubbing. Spine slightly dulled. A handsome copy.

First edition, first issue, illustrated with 21 original etchings by Jules Lalauze. Printed in a limited edition following 220 copies on deluxe paper. One of 20 copies on Wattman paper, no. 40. Title pages printed in red and black. A fine impression. An exceptional copy with the engravings in four states (sometimes bound further within the volume), whereas even the copies on Japan paper contain only three states, two of which are proofs on Japan paper. Volume IV is unfortunately lacking in this set. Original wrappers and spines preserved.
Contemporary half orange morocco binding, signed by Canaps on the upper flyleaf. Spine with raised bands, tooled with four crosses composed of four tulips and circles in the corners. Gilt title, volume number and date. Double gilt fillets on covers. Untrimmed copy, with full margins, of pristine whiteness. Some traces of rubbing. Darker areas on certain boards.

A superb copy.

Collective edition, partly original. It is illustrated with 3 frontispiece titles and 23 figures by François Chauveau. The three frontispiece titles dated 1660, the title page of the second volume with the date 1664, the other two title pages dated 1660. In the second volume, the privilege is also dated 1664, while the other two volumes have the privilege dated 1660. The second volume is therefore the 1664 reprint, identical in every respect to the 1660 edition, with the exception of the collation of the preliminary pieces. The three discourses as well as the examinations of each piece appear for the first time.

Binding in full 20th-century chocolate morocco signed Alix at the bottom of the endpapers. Spine with raised bands decorated with 4 grotesque panels, author, title, volume number, and date in gold. Large and rich interior border. Triple fillet border on the boards. Gilt edges. Minimal traces of rubbing. Volumes of great purity, with paper of beautiful freshness. Slipcases edged with chocolate morocco covered with old laid paper.

Magnificent copy.

First edition, partly original, of the author's complete works.

Our copy retains the engraved frontispiece portrait of Madame de Staël by Müller, present in the first volume.

Some minor foxing, rare minor scratches on a few covers, holes at the bottom of the last marbled paper flyleaf in the ninth volume.

Full pinkish-red glazed calf bindings, smooth spines with richly decorated double gilt compartments, title and volume labels in green morocco, double gilt fillets framing the covers stamped in their centres with gilt coats of arms, gilt-rolled leading edges, marbled endpapers and endboards, gilt lace framing on pastedowns, all edges gilt, very elegant english bindings of the period.

According to Clouzot, this is the first, most sought-after, and by far the finest edition of the complete works of Madame de Staël.

Compiled by Baron Auguste-Louis de Staël-Holstein (1790–1827), her eldest son, and the Duke Achille-Charles-Léonce-Victor de Broglie (1785–1870), her son-in-law, this collection of the Complete Works is well composed, carefully printed and error-free. Compiled with genuine filial piety and a respectful family spirit, it presents, from a literary point of view, the best text of the definitive version of each of the Baroness's complete works.

A very fine copy in a perfect decorative binding with arms and in full glazed calfskin of the period.

First edition, this one the no. 1 of 25 numbered copies on Japon, most limited deluxe issue.

Bound in grey half morocco, smooth spine, marbled paper boards, mould-made endpapers, original wrappers preserved, pastedown bookplate, top edge gilt, contemporary binding signed by L. Pouillet.

A rare and handsome copy in an attractive contemporary binding.

First edition.

Full celadon blue morocco binding, later (ca 1920). Smooth spine decorated with mirror-tooled ornaments at tail and head connected by fillets. Fillet frame on boards. Top edge gilt. Covers and spine preserved. Uncut copy. Scattered pale foxing. 

Handsome copy in full morocco.

Last flame of late romanticism, Dominique is a sentimental novel, imbued with profound melancholy, largely inspired by autobiographical events and narrating the story of an impossible love. It is the only novel by this celebrated painter, and remains one of the great works of 19th-century French literature.

New edition, with 58 illustrated full-page plates including a frontispiece, all after P. A. Varin.
Full green velvet binding with silver edges, elaborately decorated with gilt gauffered rocaille motifs, and some blind stamped, with abundant onlays of blue, purple, cream and red vel­vet ; upper board with silver engraved crowned A[ve] M[aria] initials at center, "RGP" silver engraved initials at center of second board, both initials inside a wide red velvet inlay bordered with gilt gauffered motifs displaying the sheep­skin of the Order of the Golden Fleece at bottom, spine elaborately decorated with gilt rocaille motifs, silver engraved title label, silver clasps with pierced leafy designs and central roundel, light blue watered silk pastedowns and end­papers elaborately decorated with gilt rocaille gauffered motifs, all edges gilt. Contemporary binding. Scattered foxing throughout.

A masterful piece of Rocaille book-making in velvet and silver, op­ulently gauffered and heavily gilt, in exceptional condition.

First edition for which no deluxe copies are mentioned, one of the first issue copies numbered at the press.
Modern Bradel binding in full late 19th century watered silk, smooth spine, black oasis title label, covers and spine (with some lacks) preserved, elegant pastiche binding.
Cover illustrated by Guillaume.
Rare copy of this novel written almost entirely by Jean de Tinan.

First edition, one of 48 copies on pur fil, the only deluxe copies.

Work decorated with illustrations by Jean Hugo.

Light rubbing to extremities of the slipcase.

Superb binding in dark exotic wood marquetry signed Pierre-Lucien Martin, dated 1962.

Binding in chocolate brown box leather with bands, smooth spine, gilt title lengthwise, first cover formed of a mosaic arrangement of dark wood pieces, with grain arranged in opposite directions, bearing the title engraved vertically and the author's name revealed in acrostic, second cover formed of a large panel of the same wood with unfolded grain bordered in chocolate box leather, endpapers and pastedowns of chocolate paper, top edge gilt over deckled edges, covers and spine preserved, slipcase of chocolate paper bordered in chocolate box leather, interior lined with brown felt, elegant ensemble signed Pierre-Lucien Martin and dated on the rear pastedown 1962.