Guy de Maupassant - [Jean de Bonnot] Oeuvres complètes - 1980

Complete works of Guy de Maupassant

Complete in 12 volumes

Limited edition of 1020 numbered copies for the centenary of the writer's death.

12 luxurious in-octavo volumes bound in full ebony morocco leather, enhanced on the spine with an original design signed and gilded in 22-carat gold. The gold tooling and leather embossing are the work of master engraver Jacques Bronstun, whose signature is engraved on the exterior of each binding.

Chiffon vélin bibliophile ivory, watermark filigreed in full weight, "aux deux canons".

Composition in Baskerville (typefaces cast in the late 18th century).

Illuminated page layout respecting classical canons and notably the balance of margins.

5952 pages all adorned with banners and period vignettes, signed by eminent artists and reproducing genre scenes drawn from Maupassant's universe and his work.

Black and gold endpapers, guard leaves and braided fore-edges, shaped spine, grooves peened. Across the full height of the spine, the title piece and decor struck in genuine gold, headband also gilded in genuine 22-carat gold.

12 volumes: short stories, novels, verse, chronicles, plays universally famous.

Good condition: some rubbing on certain bindings, notably at the corners. The gilding on the lower head of volume 5 is partly erased, with a crease on the leather. Ex-libris of a previous owner.