Stendhal / Henry Lemarié - La Chartreuse de Parme - 1970

The Charterhouse of Parma, by Stendhal, watercolors by Henry Lemarié

First published in 1839, this novel ranks among the peaks of 19th-century French literature. Stendhal, he wrote the text in only 52 days as a dictation, a feat that has become legendary in the history of letters. The narrative follows the adventures of Fabrice Del Dongo, a young Italian man in love with freedom and Napoleonic glory, from his enthusiastic presence at Waterloo to the intrigues of the Parma court, passing by his imprisonment in the Farnese Tower and his passion for Clelia Conti. Balzac, in a famous article, immediately hailed the novel as a work of genius.

The edition offered here, published in 1970 by Marcel Lubineau, belongs to the tradition of the great illustrated bibliophile editions of the 20th century, which gave French novel classics a sumptuous showcase destined for collectors.

Henry Lemarié, regarded as one of the French miniaturists most sought after by bibliophiles of the 20th century, illustrated this edition with 54 watercolor compositions, reproduced by stencil by Maurice Beaufumé.

Paris, Marcel Lubineau, publisher, 1970: complete in three volumes, quarto (approximately 28 × 20 cm) of 281, 279 and 275 pages respectively. 54 color compositions by Henry Lemarié, including three frontispieces and 51 large illustrations. Copies numbered on Velin de rive B. F. K.

Publisher’s full morocco binding in mauve, entirely adorned with cold-stamped and hot-gilded decorations. Title, volume numbering and gilded headpieces, all under a bound slipcase. Very slight sunning of the spines, which show tiny traces of wear visible in the photos. The interior is in mint condition.