William Beckford - Vathek conte Arabe - 1928
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William Beckford's Vathek conte Arabe, 1st Edition Thus, a French edition published in Paris by Les Exemplaires, 1928 (colophon 1931), limited to 99 copies (no. 18), bound in half leather with dust jacket, 338 pages, 27 cm tall.
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Description from the seller
Full title: "VATHEK Conte Arabe précédé de BECKFORD ou le Démon des Fables par G. JEAN-AUBRY."
Limited edition Number 18/99 Scarce in dust wrapper. (In fact scarce at all, with only 99 copies printed).
Original French edition, in dust wrapper. Although the title states 1928, the colophon dates this to March 1931 and says that the date of 1928 was the Oxford University publication.
Barcham Green & Co paper. Top edge gilt - remaining edges rough cut. The dust wrapper is clean, with a little darkening to the spine.
First French edition of the complete Vathek in its three episodes.
The laid paper from the Barcham, Green & Co. paper mills (copy no. X). The type used here, for the first time in France, is that which the Reverend John Fell, Bishop of Oxford, had brought back from Holland in 1683.
A couple of spots, and a tear to the front fold. loss of about 1 inch to the base of the wrapper. Now covered in archival acetate. The boards are clean and tidy, with a touch of darkening to the base of the spine (where the wrapper is missing) only.
Overall an excellent copy. XXXI pp (introduction)-338 pp. 270 x 185 mm (10¾ x 7¼ inches).
Vathek (alternatively titled "Vathek, an Arabian Tale" or "The History of the Caliph Vathek") is a Gothic novel written by William Beckford. It was composed in French beginning in 1782, and then translated into English by Reverend Samuel Henley in which form it was first published in 1786 without Beckford's name as "An Arabian Tale, From an Unpublished Manuscript", claiming to be translated directly from Arabic. The first French edition, titled simply as "Vathek", was published in December 1786 (postdated 1787).
In the twentieth century some editions include The Episodes of Vathek (Vathek et ses épisodes), three related tales intended by Beckford to be so incorporated, but omitted from the original edition and published separately long after his death.
Vathek capitalised on the eighteenth (and early nineteenth) century obsession with all things Oriental, which was inspired by Antoine Galland's translation of The Arabian Nights (itself retranslated, into English, in 1708). Beckford was also influenced by similar works from the French writer Voltaire. His originality lay in combining the popular Oriental elements with the Gothic stylings of Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto (1764). The result stands alongside Walpole's novel and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) in the first rank of early Gothic fiction.
Seller's Story
We are professional booksellers based in France, and have been members of ILAB for many years. We currently hold full membership of SLAM, as well as other organisations. We also sell at fairs and markets across Europe.
We are often found at brocantes and marches, searching for books and prints. We are also always interested in acquiring new stock from individuals, so if you have books or prints to sell, do get in touch.
We are proud to purchase biodegradable packaging and materials. Where possible, all of our book wrap and tape are compostable or re-cyclable. If you do receive any plastic bubble wrap from us - it is because we are re-using items we have received.
Full title: "VATHEK Conte Arabe précédé de BECKFORD ou le Démon des Fables par G. JEAN-AUBRY."
Limited edition Number 18/99 Scarce in dust wrapper. (In fact scarce at all, with only 99 copies printed).
Original French edition, in dust wrapper. Although the title states 1928, the colophon dates this to March 1931 and says that the date of 1928 was the Oxford University publication.
Barcham Green & Co paper. Top edge gilt - remaining edges rough cut. The dust wrapper is clean, with a little darkening to the spine.
First French edition of the complete Vathek in its three episodes.
The laid paper from the Barcham, Green & Co. paper mills (copy no. X). The type used here, for the first time in France, is that which the Reverend John Fell, Bishop of Oxford, had brought back from Holland in 1683.
A couple of spots, and a tear to the front fold. loss of about 1 inch to the base of the wrapper. Now covered in archival acetate. The boards are clean and tidy, with a touch of darkening to the base of the spine (where the wrapper is missing) only.
Overall an excellent copy. XXXI pp (introduction)-338 pp. 270 x 185 mm (10¾ x 7¼ inches).
Vathek (alternatively titled "Vathek, an Arabian Tale" or "The History of the Caliph Vathek") is a Gothic novel written by William Beckford. It was composed in French beginning in 1782, and then translated into English by Reverend Samuel Henley in which form it was first published in 1786 without Beckford's name as "An Arabian Tale, From an Unpublished Manuscript", claiming to be translated directly from Arabic. The first French edition, titled simply as "Vathek", was published in December 1786 (postdated 1787).
In the twentieth century some editions include The Episodes of Vathek (Vathek et ses épisodes), three related tales intended by Beckford to be so incorporated, but omitted from the original edition and published separately long after his death.
Vathek capitalised on the eighteenth (and early nineteenth) century obsession with all things Oriental, which was inspired by Antoine Galland's translation of The Arabian Nights (itself retranslated, into English, in 1708). Beckford was also influenced by similar works from the French writer Voltaire. His originality lay in combining the popular Oriental elements with the Gothic stylings of Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto (1764). The result stands alongside Walpole's novel and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) in the first rank of early Gothic fiction.
Seller's Story
We are professional booksellers based in France, and have been members of ILAB for many years. We currently hold full membership of SLAM, as well as other organisations. We also sell at fairs and markets across Europe.
We are often found at brocantes and marches, searching for books and prints. We are also always interested in acquiring new stock from individuals, so if you have books or prints to sell, do get in touch.
We are proud to purchase biodegradable packaging and materials. Where possible, all of our book wrap and tape are compostable or re-cyclable. If you do receive any plastic bubble wrap from us - it is because we are re-using items we have received.
Details
Number of books
1
Subject
Fine Bindings, Literature
Book title
Vathek conte Arabe
Author/ Illustrator
William Beckford
Condition
Very good
Publication year oldest item
1928
Height
27 cm
Edition
1st Edition Thus
Width
18.5 cm
Language
French
Original language
No
Publisher
Paris: Les Exemplaires
Binding/ Material
Half leather
Extras
Dust jacket
Number of pages
338
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