Divers - Superbe Ensemble de Bibliothèque - Sélection de 14 vol. du XIXe/XXe s. dont plusieurs Éditions - 1803-1902

Magnificent collection of 14 volumes meticulously selected for their high literary and historical standing and the superb aesthetic of their period bindings. An ideal set for bibliophiles or to dress the shelves of a prestigious library with great character.
This lot is distinguished by a selection of major authors, beautiful illustrated editions, several original reference editions, and provenance attested by a bibliophile.
1. ORIGINAL EDITIONS AND MASTERWORKS (Homogeneous bindings in pink-sateen half-leather with corners and marbled-pepocket paper):
• STENDHAL (Henri Beyle) - Life of Henri Brulard. Paris, G. Charpentier, 1890. POSTHUMOUS ORIGINAL EDITION published for the very first time by C. Stryienski. Interior in absolute freshness.
• MAETERLINCK, Maurice - Monna Vanna. Paris, Fasquelle, 1902. ORIGINAL EDITION of the famous play awarded the Nobel Prize (Belgian).
• MAETERLINCK, Maurice - Joyzelle. Paris, Fasquelle, 1903. ORIGINAL EDITION.
• MIKHAËL, Éphraïm - Works (Poetry — Prose Poems). Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, 1890. Posthumous reference edition of this rare symbolist poet. Red garnet half-leather binding with corners in exceptionally good condition, spine not gilt.
2. VERY OLD AND PRECIOUS VOLUMES (19th century):
• MILTON, John / DELILLE, Jacques - Paradise Lost. Volume One. Paris, Giguet et Michaud, 1805 (An XIII). Adorned with a magnificent copper-engraved frontispiece by Baquoy after Monsiau. Remarkable state of preservation.
• COLLECTIF - Selections of literature and morality (Prose). Lille, Chez Castiaux, 1822. Restoration-era edition with a beautiful neoclassical engraving in the frontispiece. Normal age foxing for its 200 years.
• NODIER, Charles - Tales. Paris, Charpentier, 1840. Romantic-era edition printed during the author’s lifetime. Scattered foxing.
• DARCEL, Alfred - Notice of Italian painted faiences, Hispano-Moorish and French (Louvre). Paris, 1864. Official catalog raisonné under the Second Empire. Green empire half-leather binding (bumps at the heads), interior impeccable.
3. GREAT CLASSICS, CURIOSA AND ADVENTURE TALES:
• TOURRENIEV, Ivan - Fathers and Sons (Fathers and Sons). Paris, Charpentier, 1863. Rare early edition of this masterpiece of Russian literature, preceded by a letter from Prosper Mérimée. A choice copy featuring on the paste-down a magnificent gold-stamped bibliophile ex-libris, adorned with the monogram “PB” and the mottos “Sans craindre le pis car ne vaux que par luttes” and “Hodie est olim.”
• LOUÏS, Pierre - Aphrodite (Old Mores). Paris, Société du Mercure de France, 1896. Copy from the year of the original edition. Magnificent blue king’s-blue half leather binding, spine with gold filet lines and marbled boards to match. Very clean interior.
• BARBUSSE, Henri - The Suppliants. Paris, Fasquelle, 1903. ORIGINAL EDITION of the author’s first novel. Period binding.
• GÉRARD, Jules - Lion Hunt. Paris, Michel Lévy, 1863. Famous illustrated edition with superb text-figures by Gustave Doré.
• HUGONNET, Ferdinand - Memoirs of a Arab Office Chief. Paris, Michel Lévy, 1858. Original edition of this major historical testimony on 19th-century Algeria.
• REGNARD - Selected Works. 1 volume in period leather binding with gilded arms/colonades.
Condition: The interiors are for the vast majority remarkably fresh, white and free of foxing (except where noted for the oldest volumes). The period bindings show normal signs of wear (spines sometimes without gilding or sun-bleached for the pink volumes, light rubbing at the heads or corners), but the set retains a superb historical patina, a very fine sparkle of the gilding, and a magnificent visual unity.
HUGONNET, Ferdinand / FLAUBERT, Gustave - Memoirs of a Arab Office Chief (Paris, Michel Lévy, 1858, Original Edition) bound in the continuation of Salammbô. An absolutely exceptional epoch-typical specimen: the binder has inserted at the very heart of the volume a complete and original copy of the Belgian daily newspaper La Meuse from Wednesday, September 8, 1858, showing London, Amsterdam stock quotes and the day’s historical events. A unique collectible piece, a rare historical testimony.