Honoré de BALZAC. Les Contes drolatiques colligez ez abbaye - Lot 2

Honoré de BALZAC. Les Contes drolatiques colligez ez abbayes de Touraine, et mis en lumière... pour l'esbattement des pantagruelistes et non aultres. Paris, Bureau de la Société Générale de librairie, 1855. In-8, brown half-maroquin, 5-rib spine richly decorated, gilt head (period binding). Brivois, 32 / Carteret, III-48 / Vicaire, I-190 /// XXXI-614-(1f.). Fourth edition of Contes drolatiques, despite the fifth mention on the title, and first printing of Gustave Doré's 425 wood-engraved illustrations in the text by Lavieille, Pisan, Riault, Bouton, Verdeil, Diolot and others.A marvelous edition, one of Doré's masterpieces; this illustration is astonishingly inventive, joyous, truly Gallic and Rabelaisian, and sparkling with wit (Béraldi, Les Graveurs du XIXe, VI-34).copy with a first-edition remark of the 5 noted by Carteret (p. XXI, numbered XX).fine copy, despite minor wear to corners.