1 / 2
Description
[LITERATURE]
FIRST EDITION of *Madame Bovary*
FLAUBERT (Gustave):
*Madame Bovary. Provincial Life*.
Paris. Michel Lévy frères, 1857/
2 volumes, in-12°. Simple half-cloth binding in green. 490 pages. Continuous pagination. Without the covers.
First edition. The bookbinder deemed it necessary to remove the pages containing the dedication ‘to Marie-Antoine-Jules Sénart’, that is to say, Sénard, the lawyer who defended the famous case involving this novel, which was prosecuted by the Seine Public Prosecutor’s Office for offence against public decency; the name is spelt with a final ‘t’, which was corrected to a ‘d’ from the second printing onwards.
This volume does indeed contain the other characteristic errors of the first edition, which have not yet been corrected, including: pages 50 and 67 are unnumbered; page 145 (line 23), ‘demanda-t-elle’ instead of ‘se demanda-t-elle’; page 290 (line 25), there is a comma after ‘abîme’; page 377 (line 21), the first word ‘Puis’ is poorly printed; etc.
In modest condition.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale
Bibliophilia – A fine selection of antique and modern books
Auction location
Auction time
10/15/2026 at 1:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like