Balzac/Lynch - Le Père Goriot - 1885

BALZAC, HONORÉ DE. — LE PÈRE GORIOT (ILLUSTRATED BY LYNCH, ETCHINGS BY ABOT).
Paris: Calmann Lévy, [c. 1885–1890].
8vo. Half brown morocco of the period with corners, smooth ornate spine, gilt head.
Remarkable late 19th-century illustrated edition of the foundational monument of La Comédie Humaine. Published within the prestigious illustrated collection of Calmann Lévy editions, this version speaks to the discerning bibliophiles of the late 19th century.

The illustrator Albert Lynch, famous for his elegant representations of the Parisian world, infuses the dramas of Rastignac and Father Goriot with a realistic and poignant atmosphere. The etching by Eugène Abot offers a very fine pictorial rendering, with great depth of blacks and contrasts.

A fine copy preserved in its period half-brown morocco binding. Clean spine with titling and gold tooling well defined. The edition paper is in excellent condition, engravings very fresh and well-pressed on vellum paper. Infinitesimal epidermises or light signs of wear at the corners and edges.

At the end of the 19th century, the great Parisian publishers rediscover the power of the Scenes from Parisian Life and entrust the illustration of Balzac’s masterpieces to the best engravers-etchers of the era.

The famous scene of the collective meal in the Vauquer pension (with Father Goriot watching his plate under the intrigued gaze of the other residents) and Rastignac’s meeting in the boudoirs of the nobility are interpreted by Lynch and Abot with exemplary historical and psychological fidelity.