Victor Hugo - Les misérables - 1862

1896. Octavo (180 x 115), 5 volumes (2580 pages). Half-green basane bindings, smooth spines adorned with fillets and hot-gilt titles, bearing the inscription “V. Hugo – Les Misérables”. Condition in keeping with age (over 160 years): wear, rubbing and epidermuration on the spines and headcaps, corners worn, interiors generally clean with few scattered foxing, pages complete, no missing. Volume 7-8 with a split spine.
Complete set of 10 volumes bound into 5 volumes, corresponding to the 1862 edition, published shortly after the original publication of the work.
Description of the volumes: volumes 1–2: Fantine (251 pages and 272 pages), volumes 3–4: Cosette (259 pages and 232 pages), volumes 5–6: Marius (229 pages and 222 pages), volumes 7–8: Idyll and the Epic (310 pages and 299 pages), volumes 9–10: Jean Valjean (282 pages and 224 pages).
Solid, well-preserved, and perfectly legible set, ideal for a collector or an enthusiast of classical French literature.
Although the original official edition was that of Brussels (A. Lacroix, Verboeckhoven & Cie) or Paris (Pagnerre), this Swiss edition testifies to the massive and almost simultaneous spread of the novel in Europe from its release in 1862. This edition is considered an edition from the year of the original publication, making it a sought-after collectible for its regional history and its relative rarity compared to the mass Parisian prints.
Complete copies of this edition of Marolf regularly appear in auction catalogs.
This is a highly sought-after antique edition, close to the original edition of Les Misérables, a major work of world literature.
If you own this edition, it is regarded as an older edition from the original year of publication, making it a sought-after collectible for its regional history and its relative rarity compared with the large Parisian print runs.