Honoré de Balzac - Les Contes drolatiques - Albert Robida - 2 volumes ca. 1903

Beautiful complete two-volume edition of Les Contes drolatiques by Honoré de Balzac, richly illustrated with 600 drawings by the French illustrator Albert Robida. The edition was published by Librairie Illustrée - J. Tallandier in Paris, probably around 1903-1905.

Balzac's Contes drolatiques is a collection of stories written in a deliberately archaic French style, inspired by Rabelais and the storytelling tradition of the Renaissance, among others. For this richly illustrated edition, Albert Robida created an extensive series of illustrations that perfectly complement the historical, satirical, and sometimes grotesque character of the stories.

The two volumes contain a total of 600 compositions by Robida, ranging from small illustrations and vignettes between the text to full-page plates. Several large illustrations are in color. The original richly illustrated covers of the Tallandier edition have been preserved during rebinding and themselves form a particularly beautiful part of the books.

Both volumes are bound in a luxurious contemporary half-leather binding with corners. The caramel-brown spines are extensively decorated with gold tooling, dark blue title shields, and figurative ornaments. The boards are covered with marbled paper, and the endpapers are also marbled. The tops of the text blocks are gilt.

The set is complete in two volumes and is in a beautiful antiquarian condition. The interior is particularly fresh for its age, with clear illustrations and only limited signs of age. The bindings are firm and the gold decoration on the spines is well preserved. Volume II shows a minimal separation between a few gatherings in places, without the binding being loose. The leather shows normal light signs of use and age.

Details:

• Author: Honoré de Balzac
• Title: Les Contes drolatiques
• Illustrator: Albert Robida (1848-1926)
• Publisher: Librairie Illustrée - J. Tallandier
• Place of publication: Paris
• Date: ca. 1903-1905
• Edition: complete in 2 volumes
• Volume I: ca. III + 396 pages, followed by tables
• Volume II: ca. 378 pages, followed by tables
• Illustrations: 600 compositions by Albert Robida
• Illustration format: black-and-white and color, both in-text and full-page
• Original illustrated covers: present and bound in
• Binding: luxurious contemporary half-leather binding with corners
• Spine: smooth leather with extensive gold tooling and dark blue title shields
• Boards: marbled paper with leather corners and spine
• Endpapers: marbled
• Edges: gilt top edge
• Dimensions per volume: ca. 25.7 × 17.5 cm
• Thickness per volume: ca. 3.2 cm
• Language: French
• Origin: France

Condition:
Good to very good antiquarian condition. Both bindings are firm and the richly gilt spine decoration is well preserved. The leather and corners show normal light wear and occasional discoloration appropriate to their age. The interior is remarkably fresh and clean, with clearly preserved black-and-white and color illustrations. The binding of Volume I is very good. In Volume II, a minimal separation between a few gatherings is visible in places, but the binding remains good and the text block is firm. The original illustrated covers are preserved in both volumes. See the photos for a complete picture of the edition and condition.