1910 Rare Book - Balzac’s Droll Stories Illustrated by Albert Robida
Author: Honoré de Balzac. Illustrated by Albert Robida.
Title: Balzac’s Droll Stories: Collected from the Abbeys of Touraine.
Publisher: London, Privately Printed, circa 1910.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 8 x 6 inches.
Pages: viii, 468 pages.
Binding: Elegant half crimson morocco over cloth boards, ruled in gilt, with raised bands and richly gilt-decorated spine compartments featuring fleur-de-lis motifs; upper edge gilt; a refined early 20th-century fine binding, in fine condition. Under a protective removable mylar cover.
Content: Near fine condition; text block clean and well preserved, with only light, occasional toning; binding sound and tight.
Illustrations: Complete with 48 full-page illustrations by Albert Robida, richly detailed and full of movement, capturing the humor, satire, and exuberant spirit of Balzac’s text.
Estimate: (USD 300–350).
The book: A finely bound and richly illustrated edition of Balzac’s celebratedContes Drolatiques, this privately printed English version presents the author’s bawdy, humorous, and deeply human tales inspired by the spirit of Rabelais and the imagined life of medieval Touraine; first published in the 1830s, these stories reveal a lesser-known facet of Balzac’s genius, blending satire, folklore, and exuberant storytelling with a deliberately archaic and playful tone; this early 20th-century edition is elevated by the lively and expressive illustrations of Albert Robida, whose line work perfectly complements the wit and theatricality of the text; the result is a volume both literary and visual, housed in a striking morocco binding that reflects the enduring appeal of Balzac’s imaginative world.
The author: Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850), one of the great figures of French literature, is best known forLa Comédie humaine, a vast and ambitious portrait of society in post-Napoleonic France; in theContes Drolatiques, he turns to a more playful and irreverent mode, drawing inspiration from Renaissance humor and the legacy of Rabelais to craft tales that are at once earthy, ironic, and vividly alive.
The illustrator: Albert Robida (1848–1926) was a prolific French illustrator, caricaturist, and visionary artist, renowned for his detailed and often fantastical imagery; his work, which spans literature, journalism, and early science fiction, is distinguished by its precision, humor, and imaginative energy; in this edition, his illustrations bring a dynamic visual dimension to Balzac’s tales, enhancing their theatricality and narrative richness.