Histoire de Gil Blas de Santillane

First printing of the 600 wood-engraved illustrations after Jean Gigoux by the best young artists of the time such as Lavoignat, Porret, Thompson.
Half aubergine calf binding, smooth spine decorated with two cartouches embellished with gilt romantic decorative motifs, rubbing to joints and headcaps, gilt fillet frame on marbled paper boards, some tears and rubbing to edges, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, contemporary romantic binding signed by Lefebvre.
Illustrated work with, as frontispiece, a portrait of the author on China paper as well as 600 vignettes here in first printing by Jean Gigoux. Printed stamp at head of an endpaper as bookplate.
Handsome copy with some inevitable foxing and established in an elegant contemporary romantic binding, of this important work for the history of the book in that it marks the renovation of wood engraving in the romantic period.