Dingo (with 69 Original Drawings in color) by Mirbeau, Octave, Andre Douhin and René Aussourd - 1913

Paris: Bibliotheque-Charpentier, Eugene Fasquelle, Editor, 1913. Limited Edition. Large Octavo. Limited to only 1/150 copies on Holland paper. An extraordinary book with 69 pages of original art drawn and colored in pencil by Andre Douhin (1863-1936) depicting the French country life and his dog Dingo. Douhin was known for his beautiful turn of the century art nouveau postcards, posters, World War I comic art and paintings. Each drawing is signed or initialed. The first and last drawings dated 1917, which was the year in which the author, Octave Mirbeau died. Dingo was Mirbeau's final novel which was written while he was dying and completed by his long-time friend Léon Werth. It shows insight into a dog whose agony is its inability to communicate, much in the same way as Mirbeau wrestled with such ideas as he faced death . Douhin's illustrations are unique in that they were drawn to cover each page of the story which presents Dingo and the French country people for whom Mirbeau had a very negative view. Sumptuously bound by René Aussourd in a deep red crushed morocco, inner gilt dentelles, marbled endpapers, three raised bands with gilt lettering in two compartments, all edges gilt, binding signed by the famous turn of the century binder, original paper wrappers bound in, housed within a custom lined slipcase. A fine, exceptionally bright copy with an occasional spot of foxing or off-setting.