DE COSTER Charles Lot n° 32

DE COSTER Charles RARE AUTOGRAPH LETTER - BOUND BY GEORGES HUSER Flemish legends, preceded by a preface by Émile Deschanel Paris-Brussels, Michel Lévy frères- Méline, Cans et cie, 1858 In-8°. Full eggplant mosaic morocco (Huser). Very richly decorated 5-rib spine with triple gilded fillets on the nerves and gilded boxes decorated with gilded volutes and rosette beads mosaicked in lavaliere morocco. The corners of the boards are decorated with rosette beads in lavallière morocco, surrounded by a gilded motif, and the center with a large mosaic of lavallière morocco, decorated and surrounded by scrolls, beads and gilded motifs, all framed by a set of seven highly-effective gilded fillets. Salmon paper counterpads and endpapers, surrounded by the same set of gilded fillets, gilded motifs and rosette beads mosaicked in lavallière morocco at the corners. Double gilt fillet running along the edges. All edges gilt. (Illustrations by Rops on covers, with Hetzel éditeur and Segers, Bruxelles, Imprimeur). Slight rubbing to corners. Very fresh inside. Case lined with the same eggplant morocco. Original edition illustrated with twelve etchings on Chine appliqué, including 3 by Félicien Rops (+ 2 cover illustrations by the same artist, the 1st mentioning Hetzel as publisher, and the last Segers in Brussels as printer), the others by Dillens, de Groux, Roffiaen, de Schampheleer, van Imschoot, von Thoren. Rare mailing from Charles De Coster to Émile Deschanel, the book's prefacer, on the title page: "À M. Émile Deschanel. Hommage de l'auteur. Charles de Coster". Émile Deschanel, professor of literature, lecturer, writer and politician, was forced into exile in Belgium after Napoleon III's coup d'état on December 2, 1851. It was during this period that he met Charles De Coster. He is the father of French President Paul Deschanel. Marginal and in-text additions and corrections (by the author? the preface writer? a third party?) in graphite. An illustration by Rops corresponding to that on page 9, with correction: the head of one of the three characters, added and pasted down, redrawn in graphite. A charming, rich copy!