Pierre Louÿs - Aphrodite, mœurs antiques – 1896 – Exemplaire n° 342 – Reliure signée Canape - 1896-1896

Excellent copy of the famous novel by Pierre Louÿs, published in 1896, the year of the work's first appearance.

Numbered copy 342 – Binding bearing the signature CANAPE.

Print run and numbering

The work contains a justification page mentioning a printing on large paper:

* 9 copies on imperial japon, numbered 1 to 9.
* 10 copies on Whatman, numbered 10 to 19.
* 40 copies on Hollande, numbered 20 to 59.

This copy bears the number 342, with a visible correction on the numbers.

This number does not correspond to the 59 large-paper copies mentioned in the justification. The exact nature of the paper is therefore not asserted.

Binding signed CANAPE

Very elegant antique red leather binding with corners, paired with marbled paper in red, brown, and gold tones.

Spine adorned with gilt fillets and motifs, bearing the name Pierre Louÿs, the title Aphrodite and the date 1896.

Top edge gilded and endpapers marbled in multicolor.

A small CANAPE signature, visible on a guard near the hinge, allows attributing the binding to the Canape house, renowned for its art bindings.

Content

Aphrodite, ancient mores is a novel by Pierre Louÿs set in ancient Alexandria, blending historical evocation, mythology, and human passions.

The main text ends on page 327, followed by supplementary pages and a table.

Condition

Overall good apparent condition for a 1896 volume.

The binding shows some rubbing, signs of use, and minor wear at the corners and headcaps.

Presence of a dark stain on the red leather of the front board, visible in the photographs.

Top edge gilded preserved.

Interior generally clean and legible, with some natural signs of age.

An old pencil annotation has been erased on a blank page.

The photographs allow appreciating the binding, the CANAPE signature, the corrected numbering, and the condition.

An interesting copy for collectors of Pierre Louÿs and enthusiasts of signed antique bindings.