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137 - HUGO, Victor. Les Misérables.
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Estimate €600 - €800
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Description
HUGO, Victor. Les Misérables. A fine first French edition of *Les Misérables*, the greatest publishing success of the 19th century. Paris, Pagnerre, 1862. In-8 (23.5 x 15 cm), Bradel-bound in grey half-percaline, smooth spine decorated with a central fleur-de-lis and a red leather title label pasted on. Year of publication on the tail. Covers preserved (as are some spines). 10 vols.: 355 pp. – 382 pp. – 358 pp. – 318 pp. – 320 pp. – 297 pp. - 432 pp. - 399 pp. - 400 pp. - 311 pp. Minor scuffing to the headbands. French first edition, in in-8 format, published in the same year as the Belgian first edition (by Lacroix Verboekhoven et Cie), of this great novel by Hugo, a sweeping social indictment, published whilst the author was in exile in Guernsey. The question of which edition takes precedence over the other has long been a subject of debate in bibliophile circles, and bibliographers remain divided on this thorny issue. Carteret and Vicaire, for example, maintained that the Paris edition should be favoured, whilst Vanderem and Clouzot gave precedence to the Belgian edition. Undertaken in 1845, this epic of the people, the result of a long process of development, was not completed until 1861 during his exile in Guernsey. Hugo sets out the purpose of his book in the Preface: “So long as there exists, through laws and customs, a social condemnation that artificially creates hells in the midst of civilisation… so long as there is ignorance and misery on earth, books of this nature may not be without purpose.” *Les Misérables* made an immediate impact despite initial reservations from the critics, and its popular success was immense. A very fine copy in impeccable condition, with beautiful, untrimmed margins.
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About the sale Collectors’ books for sale – First editions – Illustrated editions – Varia IV
Auction location
Auction time 11/02/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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