BARBEY D’AUREVILLY, Jules. La Bague d’Annibal. Paris, Duprey, 1843.
16mo [145 x 107 mm] of (8) pp. for the half-title, the title, the dedication; 127 pp., (1) p. Printed on green paper. Preserved in its contemporary sea green boards with floral patterns, flat spine, with brown morocco lettering piece, green edges.
« Very rare » first edition of this account of youth by Barbey d’Aureyvilly, of which 150 copies were printed. Clouzot p.37; Carteret, I, 102; Vicaire, Manuel de l’amateur de livres du XIXe siècle, I, 289; Rahir, La Bibliothèque de l’amateur, 307; Bibliothèque De Backer 1885.
The present copy is one of only 15 very precious copies printed on color paper, this one on green paper.
« Account of youth by Barbey d’Aureyvilly which summarizes maybe better than any other the characteristics and the worth of the narrator’s art. Published in 1843, it is composed of 151 little chapters (that he names “stanza”) of epigrams […]. With a romantic theme, the original feature of Barbey d’Aureyvilly adjusted many brilliant, caustic, ironic, sentimental, cynical and poetical variations with panache and a sense of moderation that you cannot find in any of his other works. » (Dictionnaire des Œuvres, I, 369).
Clouzot describes this edition as « very rare » (p.37).
A fine copy of this rare literary first edition, one of 15 printed on color paper and preserved in its contemporary elegant sea green boards with floral patterns.
Only one copy of this first edition printed on color paper has been recorded on the public market since 1975, it was Martin’s copy which was sold for 20,000 F (that is to say 3,000 €) by Sotheby’s Monaco on October 16th 1989, 20 years ago.
Provenance: from Amédée Trouillard’s collection with his ex libris on the paste-down as well as his stamp on the endpaper.
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