1857 Scarce French Book - Contes des Fées, Fairy Tales including Beauty and the Beast by Madame Leprince de Beaumont.
Author: Madame Leprince de Beaumont.
Title : Contes des Fées.
Publisher : Paris, B. Renault et Cie, Libraires-Éditeurs, 1857. First thus.
Language: Text in French.
Size: 6" X 4".
Pages: 100 pages.
Binding: Attractive and scarce very good original yellow illustrated softcover wraps (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown).
Content: Good content (bright, tight, some light foxing and staining - as shown, previous owner’s neat stamp on the title page - as shown, some page edges roughly cut without affecting the text - as shown).
Illustrations: Complete with all the 10 wood-engraved illustrations depicting scenes from beloved tales, such as La Belle et la Bête and Le Prince Charmant.
Estimate : (Scarce with no or few other copies available for sale worldwide).
The book: A charming, scarce, mid-19th-century edition of Contes des Fées by Madame Leprince de Beaumont, best known for penning Beauty and the Beast. This beautifully illustrated edition captures the whimsical world of fairy tales with a delightful combination of intricate engravings and poetic storytelling. Its yellow wraps are particularly evocative of period publishing practices, making it a wonderful collector's piece.
The author: Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont (1711–1780) was a French novelist and educator celebrated for her ability to adapt complex stories for younger audiences. Her works often carried moral lessons and reflected her background as a governess. Beauty and the Beast remains one of her most enduring contributions to literature.