Théophile Gautier / Gustave Doré - Le Capitaine Fracasse - 1877

Théophile Gautier — Le Capitaine Fracasse — Illustrated by Gustave Doré — Superb full red leather gilt binding — 19th century
Fine antique copy of Théophile Gautier’s celebrated novel, Le Capitaine Fracasse, illustrated by Gustave Doré and published in Paris by Librairie illustrée, 7 rue du Croissant.

This 19th-century edition brings together two major figures of French literature and illustration: Théophile Gautier, a leading Romantic writer, and Gustave Doré, renowned for his engraved compositions.
An elegant antique binding
The book is presented in a beautiful full red leather binding, with a richly decorated gilt spine featuring raised bands.

The covers are embellished with double blind-stamped borders, while the endpapers feature elegant marbled paper in shades of blue, green, and red.

This classic and refined binding gives the book true bibliophile appeal.
An edition illustrated by Gustave Doré
The text is accompanied by numerous black-and-white illustrations by Gustave Doré, whose detailed compositions evoke the romantic and theatrical atmosphere of the work.

The engravings are one of the principal attractions of this antique edition.
Details
- Author: Théophile Gautier (1811–1872)
- Title: Le Capitaine Fracasse
- Illustrator: Gustave Doré (1832–1883)
- Publisher: Librairie illustrée, Paris
- Period: 19th century
- Date: Undated, probably from the last quarter of the 19th century
- Language: French
- Binding: Full red leather, raised bands and gilt decoration on the spine
- Endpapers: Marbled paper
- Illustrations: Black-and-white engravings
Condition
Good overall condition for a book of this period.

The binding retains an attractive appearance, with the gilt decoration still clearly visible and the covers in neat condition.

There is some wear from use to the corners, headcaps, and edges of the binding.

The interior has scattered foxing, more pronounced on some pages, characteristic of antique books.

The illustrations remain clearly legible and retain their detail.

Overall, this is a particularly decorative copy, of interest both to admirers of French literature and to collectors of 19th-century illustrated books.

The photographs form an integral part of the description and allow the book’s condition to be assessed precisely.

Carefully packaged for shipping, with suitable protection for the antique binding.