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1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated
1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated

1881 Rare Limited Edition - Paul and Virginia. With a Memoir, Illustrated

$250 USD - $250 USD
$250 USD
$250 USD - $250 USD
$250 USD

Author: Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre. Illustrated by Adolphe Lalauze.
Title: Paul & Virginia. With a Memoir.
Publisher: Edinburgh, William Paterson, 1881. Limited copy No. 253 of a limited edition of 433.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7 x 5 inches.
Pages: xxviii + 230 pages.
Binding: Attractive and near fine exquisite full red crushed morocco binding by Andrew Grieve (Edinburgh), with richly gilt-tooled spine compartments, raised bands, gilt fillets and decorative borders, gilt turn-ins, and upper edge gilt. Marbled endpapers with an early J.A. Jamieson bookplate (hinges fine, overall slightly scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. A superb and strictly period binding.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing or staining - as shown, original paper cover bound in front of the limitation page - as shown). Numbered copy No. 253 of a limited edition of 433, comprising various paper states.
Illustrations: Illustrated throughout with eight finely engraved plates by Adolphe Lalauze, including tissue-guarded frontispiece. Lalauze’s delicate linework brings a romantic, atmospheric life to Bernardin’s pastoral scenes.

Estimate: (USD $300 – $450).

The book: This luxurious 1881 edition of Paul & Virginia brings together the elegance of late Victorian fine printing with the emotional force of one of the great sentimental novels of the 18th century. Bernardin de Saint-Pierre’s tragic story, set on the island of Mauritius and centred on the unspoiled childhood, deep affection, and eventual heartbreak of the two protagonists, had by the 19th century become a literary icon throughout Europe.

This William Paterson printing gains particular prestige through its limited-edition collation and its inclusion of Lalauze’s poetic engravings, each offering a vignette of innocence, tropical beauty, and melancholy. The presence of the original limitation leaf, the numbered copy, and the tissues makes this example especially desirable.

But what elevates this copy above others is unquestionably its fine Scottish binding by Andrew Grieve. Executed in deep red crushed morocco and elegantly gilt, it embodies the craftsmanship of a binder who enjoyed strong renown in Edinburgh’s bibliophilic circles during the late 19th century. The combination of luxury binding, limited printing, and accomplished illustration results in a volume of both literary and artistic significance.

The author: Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre (1737–1814) was a naturalist, moral philosopher, and novelist whose works deeply influenced European Romanticism. A friend of Rousseau, he adopted similar ideals of harmony with nature, virtue, and simplicity. Paul et Virginie, first published in 1788, rapidly achieved international fame for its pastoral purity and its tragic critique of social constraint. Bernardin’s sensitivity to landscape and emotion shaped generations of Romantic writers, painters, and engravers, helping secure his place as one of France’s most spiritual pre-Romantic voices.

The illustrator: Adolphe Lalauze (1838–1906) was among the most talented French etchers of his generation. Known for his intimate, expressive linework, he illustrated major literary texts with exceptional finesse, including works by Dickens, Shakespeare, and Dumas. His contributions to Paul & Virginia are particularly celebrated: soft, lyrical, and atmospheric, they visually echo the sentimental charm and emotional gravity of Bernardin’s narrative. Lalauze’s plates elevate the edition far beyond mere typography, transforming it into a work of visual poetry.