VENDU
4 parts bound in 2 volumes, 12mo (164 x 90 mm) 2 nn.ll., 207 pp. fort part I; 2 nn.ll. (first blank), 219 pp. for part II seconde ; one frontispiece, 2 nn.ll., 216 pp. for part III ; 2 nn.ll., 209 pp., 1 nn.l. for part IV. Contemporary mottled calf, spine gilt with raised bands, red sprinkled edges.
Out of stock
Tchemerzine-Scheler, I, 225 ; Brunet, I, 569 ; see Cioranescu, 8936-37 (for the 1698 edition) ; Mary Elizabeth Storer, La Mode des contes de fées (1685-1700), pp. 17-41 ; Christophe Martin, « L’Illustration des contes de fées (1697-1789) », in : Cahiers de l’Association internationale des études françaises, 2005, n° 57, pp. 113-132 (on line).
Very precious collection of the first group of Fairy Tales published by Madame d’Aulnoy. Together with Mother Goose by Perrault (Contes) published in 1697, the Fairy Tales by madame d’Aulnoy are at the beginning of this new literary form which became extreemely popular in the early 18th century.
The work combines the first stories published in 1698 in an edition which is unobtainable today. The French National Library owns only the first two volumes of Contes nouveaux and three copies of the Illustres fées published the same year 1698, including two copies of the counterfait Dutch edition. Previous auction records indicate usally copies in various bindings and usually in bad condition, as the books were heavily read.
The first volume contains La Princesse Carpillon, La Grenouille bien-faisante, La Biche au bois, Le Gentilhomme bourgeois, La Chatte blanche and Le Chevalier fortuné. Volume II with: Le Pigeon et la colombe, La Princesse Belle Étoile, Le Prince Marcassin, Le Dauphin and Suite du Gentilhomme bourgeois. The first two parts which are bound here together are dated 1715 and contain a new edition of the texts previously published in 1698, but are here newly illustrated with charming vignettes by Raymond, inspired by Clouzier. The following two parts united in the second volume (dated 1711) contain the second edition of the Suite des Contes nouveaux. Themerzine’s bibliographical description is based on this new edition, as he could not find a copy of the first ; the seven vignettes illustrating volume two are also by the gifted artist Raymond.
Fine copy of this rare edition, very clean and uniformly bound in contemporary calf.
Bindings expertly restored.
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