1884 French Set Fine Mosaic Binding - Edgar Allan Poe, Histoires Extraordinaires
A two-volume 1884 French edition of Edgar Allan Poe in Baudelaire’s translation, distinguished by later pictorial mosaic bindings in red morocco.
Author: Edgar Allan Poe; translated by Charles Baudelaire.
Title: Histoires extraordinaires; Nouvelles histoires extraordinaires.
Publisher: Paris, A. Quantin, 1884.
Edition: Illustrated edition, two volumes.
Language: French.
Pages: xxxii, 382; xix, 410.
Size: 9.5 × 6 inches.
Binding: Later half red morocco with raised bands, gilt spine titles and pictorial mosaic onlays; marbled boards and endpapers. Original wrappers and spines bound in. Light rubbing, a discreet corner restoration and slight scuffing to a lower corner of Nouvelles histoires extraordinaires; hinges sound. Removable protective covers.
Content: Complete and well preserved, with occasional scattered foxing, chiefly in the margins of some plates.
Illustrations: Thirteen engraved plates in each volume, complete.
Estimate: USD 1,500–2,000.
The book: Published in Paris by A. Quantin in 1884, these two illustrated collections present Poe’s tales in the French translations of Charles Baudelaire, whose work helped establish the American writer’s reputation among French readers. Each volume contains thirteen engraved plates, offering a visual interpretation of the stories.
The set is distinguished by its later half-red-morocco bindings, with pictorial mosaic onlays on the spines evoking scenes from The Murders in the Rue Morgue and The Pit and the Pendulum. Raised bands, gilt lettering and marbled sides complement the designs. The original wrappers and spines have been retained within the bindings; minor wear and restoration are noted above.
The author: Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) was an American poet, critic and writer of short fiction whose work helped shape detective fiction and the literature of psychological horror. His stories explore uncertainty, obsession and the limits of reason.
The translator: Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867), the French poet and critic, translated Poe’s fiction and championed his work in France. His translations played an important role in Poe’s European reception.