LA PETITE ROQUE

Paris: L. Carteret, 1907. No. 28 OF 50 COPIES "DE GRANDE LUXE. 303 x 212 mm. (12 x 8 1/2"). 80, [8] pp.
HANDSOME DARK BROWN CRUSHED MOROCCO, INLAID IN THE ART NOUVEAU STYLE, BY HENRI NOULHAC (stamp-signed in gilt on front doublure), covers with inlaid hazel brown morocco frame creating four ogival compartments in the center panel, each containing an inlaid morocco thistle bloom in lavender, lilac, and hues of green, the spaces between the compartments inlaid with olive green morocco thistle leaves, raised bands, spine panels with inlaid interlocking hazel brown morocco chain links, gilt lettering, CRIMSON MOROCCO DOUBLURES, borders with multiple gilt rules and decorative rolls, dark brown watered silk free endleaves, leather hinges, marbled flyleaves, all edges gilt. Original paper wrappers bound in. With 23 original etchings by Alexandre Lunois, the etched title and printed title vignette in three states, the remaining illustrations in two states, for a total of 47 extra plates. Four-leaf prospectus bound in at rear. For the binding: Duncan & De Bartha, pp. 150-53, 195. ◆Occasional faint offsetting from etchings, otherwise A SUPERB COPY INSIDE AND OUT.

This edition of a novella by the father of the modern short story is a beautiful example of early 20th century French book arts, offered here in a lavish Art Nouveau binding by Henri Noulhac (1866-1931), one of the foremost binders and gilders of his generation. Described as "a superlative craftsman" by Duncan & De Bartha (who reproduce four of his bindings in their "Art Nouveau and Art Deco Bookbinding"), Noulhac was born in Chateauroux, where he served his apprenticeship, then moved in 1894 to Paris, where he established his atelier at 10 rue de Buci. His work attracted several eminent clients, including the celebrated collector and binding historian Henri Béraldi, who became his main patron. In the 1920s, Noulhac gained a reputation as a binding instructor, numbering Rose Adler among his students.

Guy de Maupassant's grim story of the rape and murder of little Louise Roque and the bureaucratic corruption and incompetence that allow the perpetrator to thwart justice was first published in the journal "Gil Blas" in 1885, and was included in a collection of short stories issued the following year. Maupassant (1850-93) was a protégé of Flaubert, and wrote in the realist style. He ranks with Chekhov as a master of the modern short story.

Our strictly limited edition has all the elements dear to the sophisticated bibliophiles of the Belle Epoque: fine paper, beautiful printing, attractive illustrations in multiple states, and a sumptuous binding. In "The New Bibliopolis: French Book Collectors and the Culture of Print 1880-1914," Silverman notes that collectors of that era were not the studious scholars of olden days, scouring the stalls of the bouquinistes for early printed works, but men of wealth and taste, who were anxious to display those qualities to others. There was serious competition to acquire the most unique and luxurious copy of a work. Silverman likens the status-seeking fin-de-siècle French bibliophile to "the dandy or the snob, avid to secure his often idiosyncratic reputation." Though the original motives may have been egocentric and self-serving, succeeding generations of collectors continue to reap the benefits of gorgeous volumes created as a result..