1885 Signed First Edition - Edouard Laboulaye's Last Fairy Tales, Illustrated
A remarkable presentation copy, inscribed by the translator Mary L. Booth to a named recipient, with additional contemporary note preserving the context of the gift.
Author: Édouard Laboulaye. Authorized translation by Mary L. Booth.
Title: Laboulaye’s Last Fairy Tales.
Publisher: New York, Harper & Brothers, Franklin Square, 1885.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7.5 x 5 inches.
Pages: xviii, 382 pages, plus publisher’s catalogue.
Binding: Very good, original publisher’s decorative cloth, richly stamped in gilt and green with an elegant fairy motif; spine lettered in gilt; slight wear to spine extremities as shown, remaining highly attractive.
Content: Very good; clean and well-preserved; minor marks; exceptional presentation inscription on the second blank page, signed by Mary L. Booth, with an additional contemporary penciled note explaining the circumstances of the gift.
Illustrations: Illustrated with engraved plates and in-text illustrations, including a portrait frontispiece of Laboulaye.
Estimate: (USD 400–500).
The book: This 1885 first American edition of Last Fairy Tales offers one of the finest English-language presentations of Laboulaye’s imaginative and politically infused stories. Issued by Harper & Brothers in a striking decorative binding, the work reflects the growing sophistication of American book design in the late nineteenth century.
This particular copy stands apart for its warm and personal inscription by Mary L. Booth, addressed to a named recipient and revealing a direct social connection. The inscription reads:
Louis M’Lane Hobson,
With loving good wishes
for a happy and prosperous life,
from his mother’s friend.
Mary L. Booth
Nov. 29, ’87.
A faint contemporary pencil note beneath further records the circumstances of the presentation, suggesting the inscription was written in a personal setting and witnessed by others—adding a rare layer of documentary provenance.
The author: Édouard Laboulaye (1811–1883) was a French historian, political thinker, and advocate of liberty, widely recognized for inspiring the creation of the Statue of Liberty. His fairy tales often combine imaginative storytelling with subtle philosophical and political themes.
The translator: Mary L. Booth (1831–1889) was a leading American literary figure and long-time editor of Harper’s Bazaar. A prolific translator and author, she played a key role in introducing European literature to American audiences. Presentation copies signed by Booth are scarce, particularly those with such personal and contextual inscriptions.