Bertall

1842 · 73008 — Paris: FurneDubochetHetzel & Paulinpuis Alexandre Houssiaux 1842. Fine. Furne Dubochet Hetzel & Paulin puis Alexandre Houssiaux Paris 1842-1855 14.50 x 22 cm 20 volumes reliés Honoré de BALZAC & Honoré DAUMIER & Charles Constant Albert Nicolas d'Arnoux de Limoges Saint-Saëns dit BERTALL & Paul GAVARNI & Tony JOHANNOT & Célestin NANTEUIL œuvres complètes de H. de Balzac Complete Works Furne Dubochet Hetzel Paulin puis Alexandre Houssiaux Paris 1842-1855 14.5 x 22 cm 20 volumes in contemporary half shagreen First collective edition sold as the Works comprising – as well as numerous texts published for the first time – a new version of the Human Comedy reviewed and revised by Balzac. This is also the first illustrated edition. Contemporary half blue shagreen over marbled paper boards spines slightly sunned in five compartments with thin raised bands decorated with gilt dots and compartments with triple blind-ruled frames gilt fleurons to centre marbled endpapers and pastedowns. A little foxing in some volumes a very small stain to page 119 of volume 4 another to page 321 of volume 8 a tear to half-title of volume 9 a small damp stain to corner of pages 449 and following of volume 10 stain to pp. 173-74 of volume 14 stains to pages 303 to 307 of vol. 16. The full set of 152 hors-texte plates by the best artists of the age including Bertall Daumier Gavarni Johannot Nanteuil as well as illustrations to text. Four rejected plates have been added bringing the number of plates in this copy to 156. There are so many reasons for emphasising the interest of this edition one of the most important in French literature. Having had a turbulent existence and confused and having been several times republished in a great number of copies it is very rare in its first form and – in this first version – even rarer in a contemporary uniform binding than with a modern binding and the wrappers preserved cf Clouzot. A very good and rare copy in a contemporary uniform binding ca 1855 with all the plates called for by Clouzot and four additional ones. FurneDubochetHetzel & Paulinpuis Alexandre Houssiaux hardcover