1890 Scarce Color French Book - Contes des Fees by Perrault, Fairy Tales
Author: Charles Perrault.
Title: Les Contes des Fées.
Publisher: Paris, Librairie de Théodore Lefèvre et Cie / Émile Guérin, Éditeur, [circa 1890].
Language: Text in French.
Size: 6 x 4 inches.
Pages: viii-207 pages.
Binding: Attractive and very good preserved original red cloth binding, lavishly stamped in black and gilt with elaborate floral and ornamental motifs. Gilt title framed diagonally on the upper cover and spine (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. All edges gilt.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing or staining - as shown).
Illustrations: Complete with nine delightful hand-colored full-page plates protected by their original tissue guards (notably La Belle au Bois Dormant, Le Petit Chaperon Rouge, Peau d'Ane), as well as charming in-text wood engravings throughout.
Estimate: (USD 400–500).
The book: A scarce, charming, and richly illustrated late 19th-century edition of Charles Perrault’s Les Contes des Fées, presenting eleven of the most beloved French fairy tales in their classic form. This Émile Guérin edition, includes La Belle au Bois Dormant, Le Petit Chaperon Rouge, Peau d’Ane, Cendrillon, and Le Chat Botté, among others. The volume stands out for its decorative publisher’s cloth binding in bright red and gilt, its vivid hand-colored engravings, and its historical appeal as a finely produced children’s book from the French Belle Époque. A rare survival in such decorative condition.
The author: Charles Perrault (1628–1703), a member of the French Academy and a literary figure of the court of Louis XIV, is best known for laying the foundations of the modern fairy tale genre. His Histoires ou contes du temps passé, first published in 1697, gave the world enduring stories like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Little Red Riding Hood. Perrault’s blend of folkloric tradition and refined courtly style has influenced generations of writers and illustrators.