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Leducq Maison de Ventes aux enchères
82
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(Lot) – Alexandre DUMAS. 6 works in first edition.
See original version (French)
82
-
(Lot) – Alexandre DUMAS. 6 works in first edition.
See original version (French)
Estimate €120 - €180
Voluntary lot
Description
(Lot) – Alexandre DUMAS. 6 works in first edition.
- *Praxède*, followed by *Don Martinn de Freyras* and *Pierre-le-Cruel*. Paris, Dumont, 1841.
In-8, green half-basane, plain spine with decorative lettering.
[2 ff.], 307 pp.
Three short stories inspired by Spain. The first is set in 1099 and recounts the chivalrous exploits of the Count of Barcelona, Raymond Bérenger III, who set out for Germany to defend the honour of Empress Praxède, who had been unjustly accused of adultery. Emerging victorious from the battle, he was rewarded with the hand of the Marquise of Provence. The reign of this defender of the oppressed was ‘one of the greatest and happiest that the noble city of Barcelona has ever remembered. ”
The other two stories are also set in Spain: the second during the reign of Sancho III, and the third in the 16th century.
Vicaire III, 352; Talvart, 44; Munro, 96.
Due to a bookbinder’s error, the spine is titled *Le Maître d’armes* and marked as volume 4. However, the volume is complete and the contents are indeed *Praxède*.
Spine faded, cap bands rubbed, corners worn, foxing.
- *Le Capitaine Arena*. Paris, Béthune, publisher; Dolin, bookseller and agent, 1842.
2 volumes in-8, contemporary binding in brown half-calf, with bookplate.
[2 ff.], 309 pp., [2 ff.]; [2 ff.], 314 pp., [1 f.].
First edition.
In which we follow Dumas to regions rarely visited by tourists at the time: the Aeolian Islands and Calabria.
Although it does not bear the title, this work forms part of Dumas’s *Impressions de voyage*. The second instalment of his account of his journey through southern Italy, undertaken with the painter Jadin and his dog Médor, a character in his own right within the narrative.
Before leaving Palermo, Dumas visits the Casa dei Mattei (the ‘house of madmen’) in the company of its founder, the Baron de Pisani. He describes at length the characteristics of this pioneering institution, where all violence is banned and where the aim is to treat the mentally ill rather than to punish them. Returning to their ship, the travellers visit the Sicilian islands (Lipari, Stromboli…), then head back to Calabria, where Dumas and his companions are stranded by an earthquake.
Vicaire III, 354; Talvart, 5; Munro 106.
Corners and edges worn, corners blunt, foxing.
- Gaul and France, with an introduction to *Scènes historiques* by… Paris, Charles Gosselin, 1842.
In-8, fawn half-calf, smooth spine decorated with small fleurons and gilt fillets.
[2 ff.], 247 pp.
Bound together with:
- Joan of Arc. Followed by an appendix containing a reasoned analysis of ancient documents and new, previously unpublished documents on the Maid of Orléans, by J.-A. Buchon, with an introduction by Mr Charles Nodier. Paris, Charles Gosselin, 1842.
[2 ff.], XIII, 453 pp.
Spine faded and rubbed; upper joint roughly restored. Foxing.
- The Medici. Paris, Recoules, 1845.
2 volumes in-8, modern binding in blue half-percale with corner pieces.
[2 ff.], 343 pp., [1 f.]; [2 ff.], 345 pp., [1 f.].
Vicaire III, 370.
Spine faded, foxing.
- Catherine Blum. Paris, Cadot, 1854.
2 volumes, 8vo, blue half-percaline, title labels in fawn morocco, gilt fleurons and date, covers worn and lined, foxing.
[2 ff.], 318 pp, [1 f.]; [2 ff.], 319 pp., [1 p.].
An intimate novel set in Dumas’s native region.
Dumas wrote this novel to please his daughter, ‘the blue-eyed child’, who had been asking him for a story about his past in Villers-Cotterêts.
The story is set in 1829–1830 and features, in particular, Vatrin, a gamekeeper who was a friend to both General Dumas and Alexandre.
A charming and simple tale in which two young lovers find themselves pitted against the dark schemes of a jealous villain.
Munro, 271.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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