BALZAC (Honoré de). OEUVRES COMPLETES. Paris, Furne, Duboche - Lot 81

BALZAC (Honoré de). OEUVRES COMPLETES. Paris, Furne, Dubochet, Hetzel, Paulin puis Houssiaux, 1842-1855. 20 volumes in-8, garnet half-maroquin with corners, ornate ribbed spines, cover and spine, gilt head, untrimmed (V. Champs). FIRST COLLECTIVE EDITION AND ORIGINAL EDITION OF THE DEFINITIVE VERSION, revised and reworked by Balzac. The first edition is also illustrated, by the author's best contemporary artists. "So many reasons to insist on the interest of this edition, one of the most important in French publishing... it is extremely rare in its first form" (Clouzot, p. 27). Three volumes appeared for the first time in this collection: La Dernière incarnation de Vautrin, l'Initié, les Paysans, Petites misères de la vie conjugale, le Théâtre and les Contes drolatiques. The illustration includes 154 WOODEN ENGRAVINGS printed on tinted paper after drawings by Meissonnier, Français, Tony Johannot, Traviès, Bertall, Célestin Nanteuil, Henri Monnier, Gavarni... It includes: a portrait of Balzac, the general frontispiece of La Comédie humaine placed at the head of the first volume, 116 figures published simultaneously with the first 16 volumes of the Furne edition, 5 figures published subsequently by Furne for t. XVII, 6 figures published subsequently by Furne for t. XVIII, a portrait of Balzac and the general frontispiece of La Comédie humaine placed at the head of t. XVIII. XVII, 6 figures given later by Houssiaux for t. XIII and 25 figures for the last 3 volumes. A FINE COPY IN PERFECT BINDINGS BY VICTOR CHAMPS. (Brivois, 17-30) (Carteret, I, 79) (Vicaire, I, 239). Modern ex libris. ED