La Fontaine - Contes - 1795

THE PLEASURE AND THE MORALE: LA FONTAINE BETWEEN EROS AND IRONY
This refined stereotype edition of the Contes of La Fontaine, printed according to the famous Firmin Didot method, represents a perfect example of a “modern” book in the fullest sense: compact, accessible, technically advanced and intended for broad yet cultivated circulation.
The Contes, far bolder than the famous Fables, reveal a libertine, ironical La Fontaine deeply embedded in the European narrative tradition of Boccaecian derivation. Here, the lightness of the format and the typographic precision unite with morally ambiguous content, creating an object that is both a reading pleasure and a testimony to a book industry revolution.
MARKET VALUE
Didot editions of the Contes, especially in stereotype format and contemporaneous binding, are fairly present on the market but highly valued for typographic quality and historical significance. Complete 2-volume copies generally range between €300 and €800, with peaks up to €1,000 for fresh copies, well preserved or on fine paper (vellum). The present exemplar, for completeness and coherent binding, falls within the mid-to-good range.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
2 volumes, contemporary half-green leather binding with marbled paper boards, smooth backs with fillets and titles impressed in gold, volume numbering at the foot, signs of wear. Pages with light browning and some foxing, more evident on the first and last leaves; margins regular. Genuine copy, with signs of use to the spines and small abrasions, but overall well preserved and solid.
Pagination:
Volume I: [4], 226 pp.
Volume II: [4], 198 pp.
In old books, with a history spanning several centuries, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Contes de La Fontaine.
Tome premier [et second].
Paris, chez P. Didot l’aîné, imprimeur; et Firmin Didot, libraire, rue de Thionville, n° 1850.
Édition stéréotype, d’après le procédé de Firmin Didot.
Date: late 18th – early 19th century (circa 1798–1800).

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The Contes by Jean de La Fontaine constitute one of the most refined and subtly provocative expressions of French short fiction. Inspired by Boccaccio, Ariosto, and the Italian novella tradition, these tales stage a universe dominated by desire, deceit, and social play. Far from the moralizing dimension of the Fables, the Contes explore with lightness and irony the limits of official morality. The Didot edition adds a fundamental historical dimension to this content: the introduction of stereotyping, which allows faster and cheaper reproduction of the text, marking a turning point in European book production. The book thus becomes not only a vehicle of ideas but also a symbol of technical innovation.
BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Jean de La Fontaine was born in 1621 in Château-Thierry and died in Paris in 1695. A poet and storyteller, he is best known for the Fables, but his Contes represent an essential part of his oeuvre, characterized by an elegant, ironic, and often licentious style. Influenced by Italian and classical tradition, La Fontaine managed to fuse morality and narrative pleasure in a unique form, exerting a profound influence on European literature.
PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The Didot stereotype editions, developed from the late 18th to the early 19th century, revolutionized the world of printing by enabling larger and more uniform print runs. The Contes were among the texts that benefited most from this innovation, distributed in practical and relatively economical formats. The typographic indication in the volume confirms the use of the Didot method, a distinctive element of these editions, greatly appreciated both for the quality of the type and for their role in the history of printing.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Brunet, Manuel du libraire, III, col. 734–740 (La Fontaine, Contes, editions and variants).
Tchemerzine, Bibliographie d’éditions originales et rares d’auteurs français, IV, pp. 87–95.
ICCU/OPAC SBN: record for Didot stereotype editions of the Contes (search by publisher and printing technique).
BnF Catalogue général: La Fontaine, Contes, éditions Didot, fin XVIIIe – début XIXe siècle.
Upstone, The Didot Family and the Development of Stereotype Printing, references to French stereotype production.