Victor Hugo - Notre-Dame de Paris - 1831

HUGO, Victor (1802-1885). Notre-Dame de Paris. Paris: Gosselin, 1831. 4 vol. in-12 (18 x 11 mm).

FIRST IN-12 EDITION, PUBLISHED IN THE YEAR OF THE ORIGINAL EDITION. Despite the notation “sixt edition” on the half-titles, this is in fact the second edition. The print run of the original in-8 edition was divided into four parts. Gosselin, who published the in-8 edition followed by the in-12 edition, continued this numbering, hence the notation “sixt edition.” This in-12 edition was divided into two print runs bearing the notation “fifth” or “sixth edition”; both are, according to Clouzot, “equally very rare.”

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A rare early set of Victor Hugo’s Notre-Dame de Paris, published by Charles Gosselin in Paris in 1831 (noted as the “sixth edition”), here presented as a complete set in four volumes bound into two volumes. This is one of the earliest printings of the novel, issued in the same year as the original publication, with Gosselin’s practice of listing multiple “editions” reflecting the immediate commercial success of the work.

The volumes measure 11 x 18 cm and feature four engraved frontispieces by Tony Johannot (engraved on wood by Porret), depicting iconic Romantic scenes such as Esmeralda and Quasimodo and the Court of Miracles. The books are bound in period half-calf bindings with corners, smooth spines decorated with gilt Romantic tooling, and marbled paper boards. Pagination includes 322, 338, 226, and 288 pages.

Elegant contemporary light brown half-calf binding (slightly rubbed) in the style of Ledoux, marbled paper covers, spines decorated, title and volume number in embossed lettering at the top and bottom, fore-edge marbling. Shows age-related wear. Rubbing to the corners and edges, the second volume shows a 4 cm tear at the top of the spine. The head and tail of the spines are slightly chipped, but the bindings remain sturdy and present beautifully on a shelf.

The interiors are in good condition, with scattered foxing—sometimes dense on certain pages—typical of early 19th-century French paper, though the text remains fully legible and complete with no missing pages.

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According to victorhugoressources.paris website: The “fifth edition”—actually the second—announced on April 9, 1831—and a fictitious 6th edition. Paris: Charles Gosselin (printed by Cosson), 1831, 4 vols. in-12.