Published by Leonard Smithers, London, England, 1896
Seller: Panoply Books, Lambertville, NJ, U.S.A.
First Edition
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Charles Conder (illustrator). 1st Edition. Royal blue covers have gilt text and decoration. Boards show some smudges, scuffing at the shoulders, warping, edgewear. Corners are bent and frayed, with exposed board. Spine has gilt text and is darkened, somewhat cocked, with crushed, frayed ends. Binding is shaken (loose signatures but still attached), with some signs of separation and a couple of loose sheets at the Preface. See photographs for details of condition. Pastedowns and feps are age toned, have some light foxing, staining, worn edges, bookseller and owner's marks. Frontispiece is present. All six illustrations, wood engravings, are present. Interior is gently age-toned, with edgewear where page edges are uneven. Inside pages are free of writing and intentional marks.** PS2022.1130** 107 pages. 6.5 x 10 inches** The last of the three stories known as the Histoire des Treize, part of Balzac's Comedie Humaine. Presented as a stand-alone work, translated into English by Ernest Dowson, with illustrations by Charles Conder.** First edition, with all six illustrations present. Binding is fragile, with signs of separation and some loose sheets.** "Postage for oversized and international shipping will be calculated by size and weight. AbeBooks shipping quotes are ESTIMATES only. Seller Inventory #009558"**.
Published by Leonard Smithers, London, 1896
Seller: The Kelmscott Bookshop, ABAA, Savage, MD, U.S.A.
First Edition
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good Plus. Hardcover. First Edition. Includes six illustrations engraved on wood by Charles Conder. Stonehill and others state that this is the rare primary binding; copies are more commonly found in blue cloth. Very good plus in original yellow cloth boards with black title to spine and front board. Minor bumping to spine ends and bottom corners of boards. Slight darkening to spine. A few spots of foxing to early and late pages, otherwise the interior is clean. Housed in a half-morocco slipcase with purple cloth boards. The case is titled in gilt with gilt decoration and raised bands. Some discoloration, light soiling, and minor rubbing to case. The Artist and the Book 62; Nelson Smithers 1896. 12; Stonehill 51. 107 pages. LIT/052110.
Seller: Douglas Stewart Fine Books, Armadale, VIC, Australia
ByHonoré de Balzac. Translated by Ernest Dowson. With six illustrations engraved on wood by Charles Conder. London : Leonard Smithers, 1896. Octavo, purple lettered yellow cloth (a few stains), title page in red and black, pp. vii; 107, six illustrations after Conder engravings; a very good copy. With a sweet gift inscription with arrow-pierced heart to endpaper. A fine edition of Balzac illustrated by Conder, known for his impressionist work created in Australian in the 1880s. Conder would go on to issue a series of lithographed inspired by Balzac in 1899. Leonard Smithers was a publisher and bookshop owner known for his links to the Decadent movement, in particular his association with Oscar Wilde. Recorded in three Australian libraries (National Library of Australia; State Library of Victoria; State Library of Queensland).
Published by London Leonard Smithers, 1896
First Edition
First edition thus, first issue; small folio (260 x 160 mm); frontispiece and 5 wood-engraved plates printed in purple, [by Paul Naumann after] Charles Conder, some light spotting, ink name to front free endpaper; publisher's first issue yellow cloth blocked in purple, with Beardsley's Puck on Pegasus on lower cover, a little marked and bumped, uncut. The original prospectus announced that the book would be bound in royal blue cloth, however this first issue was bound in a mustard yellow, and despite having some plates misbound, the end result is still compelling, not least due to its size. The book was subsequently reissued in blue cloth, with the plates correctly placed. The book is accompanied by a cyanotype portrait of Conder in his studio.