French

Paris: Librairie Hachette et Cie., 1870. 2 volume set, 7 1/4 inches tall. A scarce early French edition of this great novel subtitled "Les Mémoires d'une Institutrice". Bound in a smart quarter hard grain morocco with tiny green vellum tips, so typical of the period. The binding has raised bands, blind tooled pallets and gilt floral centre tools. There is foxing throughout. In French.

Paris: Chez Pierre Ribou, 1715. 5 volume set, 6 1/2 inches tall. A lovely full early 18th century mottled calf with raised bands, twin labels, which vary in colour, and ornate floral gilt tooling to the panels, so typical of the period. Triple gilt fillets frame the boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. With the bookplate of N. F. B. le Sage and that of the Bibliotheque de Cirey, the library of Madame de Simiane at the Chateau de Cirey. With fine engraved plates throughout. Quinault was a celebrated playwright and perhaps most famous for composing libretti for Lully's works. A very scarce edition, in the original French.

Amsterdam: 1745. 2 volume set, 6 1/2 inches tall. An exquisite full crushed morocco binding by Reymann with gilt raised bands and exceptionally fine and delicate tooling to the panels. Triple gilt fillets frame the boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. The whole work is remarkably bright and clean. There is a small black ink stain in the margin of pages 3-6 in volume one and no frontispiece to volume 2 was ever bound in. Embellished with an engraved frontispiece to volume 1, engraved vignettes to both title pages, Engraved tailpieces and 68 engravings illustrating the tales. In the original French.

Anvers: P.Tessaro, c.1850. Half morocco, 10 1/4 inches tall. A rather splendid binding with elaborate gilding in the Cathedral style on the smooth spine. With the following inscription on the first blank: "A Monsieur J.P. Willeumier hommage de l'auteur E. Le Poittevin de la Croix". Slightly rubbed, foxing to the preliminaries, then clean. In the original French.

Paris: Michel Lévy Frères, 1860. 2 volume set, 9 inches tall. Full calf by the great firm of Leighton, from the library of Alfred Rothschild, but without his bookplate. With gilt raised bands, twin labels and neat centre tools to the panels. Twin gilt fillets and corner tools frame the boards. Pink edges. A fine copy of the first edition of this scarce title. In the original French.

Paris: Chez Nyon, Saillant, Desaint, 1766. 2 volume set, 6 3/4 inches tall. A beautiful 18th century tree calf binding from the celebrated Library of Lord Macclesfield and with his 2 armorial bookplates and, as usual, his armorial blind stamps. With gilt bands, superb gilt tooling to the panels and twin labels. Yellow edges. The contents are complete with the two folding engraved plates and woodcut devices to the title page, decorative initials and head and tail pieces. Slight rubbing. This is the history of Xenophon's brilliant military leadership in leading the 10,000 Greek mercenaries in their retreat from Cyrus's attempt to take control of the Achaemenid Empire in the 4th century B.C.. In the original French.

Paris: Éditions de Cluny, 1948. Full morocco, 7 inches tall. A Superb full straight grain morocco binding with the ticket of René Kieffer Reliures d'Art. The smooth spine has a a gilt olive branch device above and below title cartouche. On both boards there is a gilt embossed design incorporating a helmet and foliage. This unique copy is embellished with 20 original watercolours by Maurice Lauro illustrating scenes in the book. From the Library of the Late Christopher Foyle of Beeleigh Abbey. Original wrappers bound in. In the original French.

Paris: J. Techener, 1861. 11 volume set, 8 inches tall. A superb half crushed morocco by David with gilt raised bands and exquisite gilt tooling to the panels. Gilt top edges. From the Library of the Late Christopher Foyle of Beeleigh Abbey. With 2 splendid portraits of mother and daughter as frontispieces to volume I. A fine edition printed on hand made paper. Madame de Sevigné was incomparably the most influential woman writer of French literature. Her letters are frequently found to be the most reliable source for important events of the Ancien Régime.
A beautiful set in the original French.

Paris: Charpentier, 1865 (1866). Half morocco, 7 1/2 inches tall. A very fine half crushed morocco with gilt raised bands, gilt framed panels and gilt top edge. The original wrappers are bound in. With the bookplate of Alfred and Blanche de Curzon. There is a stain on the original title page which has offset onto the end paper and a slight degree of foxing. Otherwise a beautiful copy of this scarce and bizarre first edition. 'Spirite' is an extraordinary tale which, unusually for Gautier, ends happily, with the young couple passionately in love being together, but only in the afterlife in the form of sprites. In the original French.

Paris: Librairie L. Conquet, 1891. Full Morocco, 9 inches tall. A beautiful full crushed morocco for Hatchards with raised bands and remarkable floral gilt tooling to the panels and boards. Wide gilt dentelles, watered silk doublures and all edges gilt. Armorial bookplate. There is some rubbing, a very faint mark on the upper board and some cockling on the reverse of the free watered silk endpapers. One of 400 copies (out of a total of 600) on 'papier vélin de Marais'. With a portrait by Delort and engravings by Boisson. In the original French. Madame de Staal's remarkable Memoirs, including two years incarcerated in the Bastille, have not been out of print since first being published.

Paris: L. Carteret, 1910. 2 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. A superb full morocco binding by Bickers with gilt raised bands and very smart gilt pallets framing the panels and boards. Gilt dentelles and top edges. Original wraps bound in. With the bookplate of Alfred de Curzon, 19th century French painter. Slight foxing to the preliminaries. Madame Campan was in the service of Marie-Anoinette before and during the horrors of the French Revolution. This set is number 204 exemplaires sur papier velin du Marais. There are 63 very fine engravings by Leon Boisson from illustrations by LALAUZE. In the original French.

Paris: Desessart, 1844. 2 volume set, 8 3/4 inches tall. A very fine binding by Pétrus Ruban in full crushed morocco with gilt raised bands, exquisite gilt tooling to the panels and boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. With the bookplate of Daniel Henry Holmes. A stunning copy of the first edition of this set of literary criticism and biographies by the flamboyant French poet, dramatist, novelist and art and literary critic, in pristine condition. In the original French.

Paris: Benjamin Duprat, 1839. Quarter morocco with green vellum tips, 10 inches tall. An impressive binding with raised bands and a coronet atop a monogram in the panels and gilt top edge. With the bookplate of the Bibliothèque de Mouchy. Slight rubbing and a stain to the corner of some leaves. A tall copy finely printed on hand made paper.

Paris: P. Boizard, 1845. Half morocco, 10 1/2 inches tall. A fine and very bright later half morocco with gilt raised bands, floral gilt tooling to the panels and yellow edges. With the binder's ticket of Albert Günther of Vienna, and from the Library of the Auersperg Palais, though the bookplates have been neatly removed. With full page plates and vignettes throughout by '...les Artistes les plus Distingués...', illustrating the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition. Slight sporadic foxing, overall a fine bright set.

Paris: Charles Warée, 1844. Half morocco, 10 1/2 inches tall. A fine and very bright later half morocco with gilt raised bands, floral gilt tooling to the panels and yellow edges. With the binder's ticket of Albert Günther of Vienna, and from the Library of the Auersperg Palais, though the bookplates have been neatly removed. Embellished with 30 splendid full page engravings by Gavarni, Th. Frère, Émy, Guérin and Ed. Frère illustrating the distinctive features and manners of the various races and nationalities of the Parisian visitors and inhabitants. With engraved vignettes throughout. There is sporadic light foxing and slight staining to the border of some plates but generally bright and clean.