LA FONTAINE’S FABLES, BEAUTIFULLY BOUND BY MEUNIER AND LAVISHLY EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED WITH MORE THAN 300 ENGRAVINGS, ONE OF ONLY 100 SETS

LA FONTAINE, Jean de. Fables de La Fontaine. Paris: Librarie des Bibliophiles, 1873. Two volumes extended to three. Quarto, early 20th-century full marbled and polished calf, spines and front covers (of Volumes I and II) with inlaid morocco designs in white, green, tan and purple morocco inlays, raised bands, marbled endpapers, top edges gilt, uncut, original printed paper wrappers bound in. Each volume housed in custom leather-edged slipcase. $4500.

Beautifully illustrated edition of La Fontaine’s famous fables, with frontispiece portrait and 12 engraved plates in double-suite by renowned French illustrators, number 78 of only 110 sets produced. This set lavishly extra-illustrated with over 300 illustrations from other editions of this classic work by such esteemed artists as Oudry, Lerat, Percier, Delierre, and others. Handsomely bound in three quarto volumes with inlaid morocco designs of animals from the fables by renowned French Art Nouveau bookbinder Charles Meunier.

First published at intervals beginning in 1668, La Fontaine's Fables proved immediately and hugely popular. "La Fontaine's fame rests on his Fables, which… are told in a familiar persuasive style and with an inimitable naivete and a semi-pagan sentiment for nature which make them delightful to all readers" (Harvey & Heseltinem 386). La Fontaine's animals "live in their own world, and are nowhere caricatures of contemporary humans. Their separateness is emphasized by the comparison formally pointed out in the moral. This is not satire but neatly-ticketed philosophy" (Brereton, 197). With their intimate knowledge of human (and animal) nature, La Fontaine's tales, artfully constructed and vividly told, have been illustrated by many different artists through the centuries. This particular set includes the illustrations of one of the most famous and most often imitated editions, Jean-Baptiste Oudry's Fables Choisies of 1755-59 (reduced in size). Also includes engravings and etchings from 19th-century editions by Valentin Foulquier, Charles Percier, Paul Edme Lerat and Auguste Delierre—these last two originally issued their illustrations after the publication of this edition in 1873 but before 1903, when this set was formed and bound. With original paper wrappers and spines bound in. From a total edition of 110, this copy is one of 100 on papier vergé. Volume III consists entirely of illustrations, including an extra suite of the dozen illustrations integral to this edition, an extra suite of the Delierre engravings, as well as several others. Text in the original French.

Joints in two volumes expertly repaired. A near-fine, very desireable set.