BEAUTIFULLY BOUND AND ILLUSTRATED SET OF BALZAC'S COMEDIE HUMAINE

BALZAC, Honore de. The Human Comedy. Philadelphia: George Barrie & Son, [1895-1900]. Fifty-three volumes. Octavo, contemporary full red morocco gilt, raised bands, burgundy and green morocco gilt doublures, watered silk endpapers, all edges gilt; housed in matching slipcases. $10000.

Limited Édition des Amis des Arts, number 6 of only 10 sets on Japanese vellum of Balzac's Comédie Humaine, profusely illustrated with 409 engraved plates in triple suite, one of which is hand-colored, beautifully bound.

"One of the great novelists of all literature… Balzac's genius consists in his dynamic, unflagging, creative vigour; his superabundant imagination… his masterly portrayal of passions and his grasp of such widely differing subjects" (Harvey and Heseltine, 44-45). This set with numerous full-page illustrations rendered by master French illustrators of the turn of the century. "French illustration of the Belle Epoque had an international vogue… the most spectacular example of French influence, however, was the firm of George Barrie and Son of Philadelphia… Robert Barrie scoured Paris in the 1890's to find illustrations for the thousands of plates which his firm employed in its editions of Balzac and other French authors" (Ray, The Art of the French Illustrated Book, 377). The engravings in this set are by Adrien Nargeot and Charles-Henri Toussaint, after drawings by Anrien Moreau.

Fine condition. A beautiful production.