DAUDET Alphonse Port-Tarascon. Dernières aventures de l’illustre Tartarin.

Talvart-Place IV, 25:41A ; Vicaire, III, 61.

First edition, published in the Collection Guillaume-Dentu. Illustrated by Bieler, Conconi, Montégut, Montenard, Myrbach and Rossi.

One of 75 copies on large Japon paper, numbered and initialled by the publisher.

Copy enriched with an autograph and signed dedication "a Monsieur Olivier, souvenir de l'auteur, Alph. Daudet".

This is the third and final novel to feature the character of Tartarin de Tarascon, Daudet's Provençal anti-hero. His adventures began in 1872 with Aventures prodigieuses de Tartarin de Tarascon. The novel was not the success he had hoped for, but that did not stop Daudet from continuing his character's saga with Tartarin sur les Alpes. With Port-Tarascon Daudet completed his series of novels.

This time it was based on the Marquis de Rays' expedition to New Ireland in the 1880s. Tartarin takes on the role of the Marquis Charles de Rays and urges the people of Tarascon to establish a colony in Papua New Guinea. The colonists' misadventures and the trial that follows their undertaking form the heart of the narrative. The final chapter sees the death of Tartarin.

Commissioned by Harper's Monthly Magazine, Henry James translated the novel into English from 1889. The transcription appeared in serial form from June to November 1890 before being published in book form in 1891 by Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington in London.

Slight fogging on the first 4 leaves, otherwise a fine copy with very wide margins on large paper.

Provenance: André d'Eichthal (bookplate).