BALZAC, Honoré de (DORE, Gustave): Les contes... Lot 33

BALZAC, Honoré de (DORE, Gustave): Les contes drolatiques. Paris: Bureaux de la Société générale de Librairie, 1855. One large volume in-8°. Bound in full red morocco, spine ribbed with double gilt fillet decorated with gilt scrolls, fleurons and theater marks in the center, triple fillet framing the covers with large gilt coat of arms of the VIEFVILLE DES ESSARTS family in the center, double gilt fillet on the edges, gilt roulettes, rat's teeth and fillet on the covers, all edges gilt. Binding signed by PETIT. Matching slipcase. 1st edition lavishly illustrated by Gustave DORE with his famous and remarkable 425 woodcuts, in-text and full-page. (Brivois: 32: "If of all the works illustrated by Gustave Doré, only one should remain, it would be this one: the illustration is as good as the text, and that's no mean feat, since Balzac considered the Contes drolatiques to be his masterpiece". Gilt bookplate on red morocco of Georges DEGRYSSE and printed armorial bookplate of Président de VIEFVILLE DES ESSARTS. Slight rubbing, rare foxing, otherwise a VERY GOOD EXAMPLE, in a binding signed with the arms.