Illustrated Books

French translation by Adolphe Van Bever and illustrated with 40 original wood engravings by Louis Jou, one of the numbered copies on Rives vellum.
Half black morocco binding, spine with two thick raised bands set with gilt fillets, imitation white wood paper boards, small foxing to boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, top edge gilt, original wrappers preserved, elegant contemporary binding signed by Creuzevault.
Handsome copy in a beautiful Art Deco binding by Creuzevault.

Second collected edition of Victor Hugo's works published by Furne after the Renduel edition of 1833-1836; it is illustrated with 35 steel engravings. Les contemplations published in 1856 (first edition with a mention of second edition) was added to this edition. The Furne edition spans from 1840 to 1846. Le Rhin indeed appears in first collected edition at this date.
This edition, originally published in installments, was verified and corrected by Hugo himself. It was initially intended to form only 12 volumes (which are most often found alone); volume 9 bis was added later where Ruy Blas is reprinted, and the 3 volumes of Le Rhin following. Furne had bought out the Renduel bookshop, the first publisher of Hugo's complete works from 1832 to 1840, as Hugo's writings then stood.

Contemporary half tawny shagreen binding. Spine with raised bands decorated with 4 fleurons in blind-tooled compartments. Gilt titles and volume numbers. Light traces of rubbing. Some pale scattered foxing on an overall very fresh set, on white paper, very attractive. The binder did not number the entire set, only the works occupying several volumes.

Handsome set, very homogeneous.
Details: Volume I: Odes et ballades. XLV+387 pages, frontispiece and 1 plate
Volume II: Odes et ballades - Les orientales. 446 pages, frontispiece and 1 plate
Volume III: Les feuilles d'automne - Les chants du crépuscule. 423 pages, frontispiece and one plate
Volume IV: Les voix intérieures - Les rayons et les ombres. 434 pages, frontispiece and one plate
Volume V: Notre-Dame de Paris 1. 372 pages, frontispiece, title and 3 plates
Volume VI: Notre-Dame de Paris 2. 426 pages, frontispiece and 6 plates. (This second volume is dated 1850, while the first is dated 1844)
Volume VII: Cromwell, drame en cinq actes. 500 pages, frontispiece and 4 plates
Volume VIII: Hernani - Marion de Lorme - Le Roi s'amuse. 513 pages, frontispiece and 4 plates
Volume IX: Lucrèce Borgia - Marie Tudor - Angelo. 449 pages, frontispiece and 4 plates
Volume X: La Esmeralda - Ruy Blas - Les Burgraves. 390 pages
Volume XI: Han d'Islande. 583 pages
Volume XII: Bug-Jargal - Le Dernier jour d'un condamné. VI+443 pages
Volume XIII: Littérature et philosophie mêlées. 406 pages.
Volume XIV: Le Rhin 1. 381 pages,
Volume XV: Le Rhin 2. 446 pages
Volume XVI: Le Rhin 3. 352 pages
Volume XVII: Les Contemplations. Autrefois 1830-1843. Statement of second edition. 359 pages
Volume XVIII: Les Contemplations. Aujourd'hui 1843-1856. 408 pages.
Volume X was published after Volume XII and bears the volume number IXbis on the half-title, Volumes XI and XII bear the volume numbers X and XI, always on the half-titles.

Signed limited edition, one of 750 copies signed by the artist.

Original publisher's cloth, spine and front cover lettered in gilt, front cover with elaborate design in gilt.

Colour frontispiece and colour plates mounted on cream paper, captioned tissue-guards, by Edmund Dulac. Cloth soiled, some foxing to margins. With a loose leaflet advertising the exhibition of the original drawings at Leicester galleries in 1909.

An album containing 14 gouaches on silk, including 12 erotic paintings. The first painting on each side of the folding shows a bird and on the other side maple leaves, thus masking on each of the first pages the erotic aspect of the collection. Shunga is the generic Japanese term that designates erotic art, it literally means Spring Image, spring being a euphemism and figure of style expressing sexuality. The term Shunga having been reserved for a long time for prints, collections or albums have often been designated by the appellation Pillow Books, or notes for the pillow, etc. (Utamaro: The Song of the Pillow, 1788).
Japanese accordion album covered with damask silk with flowers and birds in pale gold. Silk band on the first cover serving as a label but mute. Each painting 12.8x16cm is mounted on cardboard. The cardboard folding sections are covered with cream paper speckled with gold. Very fine condition, edges rubbed, with small lacks to fabric.
The paintings respect the canons of Japanese erotic representation: oversized genitals, body hair, women with white skin and men of flesh color. No decorative element comes to distract the eye from the sexual act (only one painting contains a mirror), the bodies being most of the time clothed in rich kimonos. These collections were still in the modern era offered to newlyweds, particularly to women. The whole is of fine workmanship, the 2 introductory paintings, the bird and the maple leaves are particularly successful.
This type of representation was forbidden in Japan and therefore contains no signature, it is however evident that there existed painters whose profession and specialty this was and whom one went to see for private commissions; it is also not forbidden to think that the painter made several on his own initiative and that he offered them for sale, as was done with collections of colored photographs at the end of the 19th century.
Precious and rare ensemble in superb condition.

First edition illustrated with wood engravings in text by Gavarni, Daumier, D'Aubigny... The second volume published in 1843 contains texts by Balzac, Alexandre Dumas, Soulié, Edouard Ourliac, Eugène de Mirecourt... 29 illustrations by Daumier signed in volume 1, 10 in volume 2. 17 plates in the second volume.
Contemporary half dark green sheep binding. Smooth spine decorated with series of fillets. Blue cloth boards. Boards rubbed, corners slightly bumped. Scattered foxing.

Rare publication on the Paris of Louis-Philippe. The work proceeds by subject and articles: The wet nurses' bureau, flower sellers, baths, street lamps, sidewalks, theatre exits, beards and moustaches, the Luxembourg gardens, the Opera ball, auctioneers' hotel, lorettes and courtesans (Alexandre Dumas), restaurants and eating houses, pawnshop, Monographie de la presse parisienne (Balzac), Jockey-club, etc.
"A very important and remarkable work for the beautiful constellation of writers and artists of the Romantic period who collaborated on it." Carteret (Le trésor du bibliophile romantique et moderne).

Rare suite of woodcuts by Itchô Hanabusa (英一蝶) on Japanese folk tales, printed in black ink. Only one volume of a three-volume set, possible 19th-century reprint.

Bound in Japanese style, pages bound by a seam, blue soft cover with title label, folds, small stains and lacks of blue paper to corners, ink stain in title piece not affecting the text.

Itchô Hanabusa was part of the Kanō school and studied under Kanō Yasunobu, however he rejected this training to become a renowned painter and calligrapher.

Illustrations of Japanese legends with genre scenes, animals and flowers. The technique of Ukiyo-e, or Japanese printmaking, is very close to the original drawing, since the ink drawing was affixed to a piece of wood that the engraver carved out, precisely following the lines of the drawing, itself destroyed in the process.
Japanese bookplate, stamped in red ink.

First edition, one of 50 copies printed anonymously on papier japon.
First edition, one of 50 copies printed anonymously on papier japon.
Illustrated with an erotic frontispiece by Félicien Rops on chine.
Custom chemise and slipcase in half morocco and paper boards signed Boichot, some discreet restorations to the spine and covers, some discreet restorations to the top margin of the frontispiece, not affecting the engraving.
“La Présidente”, honorary nickname given to Apollonie Sabatier (alias Aglaëe Savatier, her real name), was one of the most captivating Salon hostesses of the 19th century. She inspired an ethereal love in Baudelaire who composed his most mystical poems in Les Fleurs du Mal in her honor. The other artists who frequented the apartment on Rue Frochot, during her famous Sunday dinners, had more licentious feelings for this woman of surprising wit and beauty. The sculptor Clésinger portrayed her in his lascivious “woman stung by a snake”; Flaubert wrote sensual letters to her ending with “the very sincere affection of one who, alas, only kisses your hand”; she has long since been recognized as the model for Gustave Courbet's scandalous The Origin of the World.
Gautier sent her this letter in 1850. Sabatier made copies which she never published but privately distributed to her guests:
“In October 1850, Gautier sent her [this] very long letter, farcical and obscene, from Rome, commenting with Rabelaisian exaggeration what himself and his friend Cormenin had learned regarding sexuality during their travels. Gautier knew that his freedom of expression would not offend Madame Sabatier. He had long since accustomed her to it and he prided himself on his “smut” to brighten up the friendly social gatherings of the Rue Frochot.” (Dictionnaire des œuvres érotiques)
Honored indeed by this priapic attention, ‘La Présidente' gave copies to all her guests and the reading of Gautier's “indecent prose” became a popular event at Parisian soirées. However, the letter was ultimately published – luxuriously but confidentially – after the recipient's death in 1890.
After this first edition of 50 copies on papier japon, a second edition on papier vélin followed a few months later with a larger print run and without the Rops frontispiece.
A rare, beautiful and very sought after copy.