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Les Etoiles. Dernière féérie par J.-J. Grandville. Texte par Méry. Astronomie des Dames par le Comte Foelix

Grandville, (Jean-Ignace-Everard Gérard). Méry, Joseph

Paris. G. de Gonet / Librairie Louis Janet. 1849
The first edition in the publisher's binding of Grandville's last work.

'The compositions of this 'last fairy-tale', brilliantly engraved on steel by Charles Geoffroy and delicately colored, form a fitting memorial to Grandville. They show that his powers remained unimpaired to the end of his short career.' (Gordon Ray).

This copy retains the scarce original publisher's binding of elaborate gilt decoration in relief with additional colour by hand; most often found in blue or black, this copy was issued in a variant green, and, as usual, the additional colour varies from copy to copy.

The biographical notice that introduces the book is one of the few sources for facts concerning Grandville's life.

[Ray 200; Carteret III, 323; SR / BF 99 & 100].
pp. (4), xvi, 252; half-title for the second part, hand-coloured pictorial title / frontispiece, printed title, sectional title, pp. (4), 186, table. 2 parts in 1 vol. 8vo. (272 x 190 mm). Half-titles with printer's credit verso, engraved pictorial titles with additiona;l colour by hand and printed titles to each part, 8 leaves with biographical notice, engraved portrait of Grandville by Charles Geoffroy with additional colour by hand, text and 12 engraved plates all with additional colour by hand and final leaf with 'Table' recto and verso. Original publisher's green cloth with elaborate gilt decoration, with elaborate gilt decorative border surrounding large vignette of a female figure accompanied by an owl and a bat holding a large banner with additional green, yellow, red and blue colour and the title 'Les Etoiles', spine elaborately gilt with title and additional colour, smaller fanfare vignette to rear board, rebacked in black cloth, preserving the original decorated spine.
#48666

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