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☙ Histoires insolites & Contes
1954 - Auguste de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam
First published on February 27, 1888 by Maison Quantin in Paris, the Histoires insolites constitute one of the major collections of Auguste de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam (1838–1889), emblematic figure of French Symbolism and recognized precursor of fantastic literature and science... ☞ Read more
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☙ Histoires insolites & Contes
✑ Auguste de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam
HISTOIRES INSOLITES & CONTES
First published on February 27, 1888 by Maison Quantin in Paris, the Histoires insolites constitute one of the major collections of Auguste de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam (1838–1889), emblematic figure of French Symbolism and recognized precursor of fantastic literature and science fiction. Bringing together twenty short stories originally published in various newspapers — principally the Gil Blas — this collection unfolds a world of unsettling strangeness, blending dark humor, corrosive irony, and idealist philosophy in narratives that became a source of inspiration for the Surrealists and many twentieth-century authors. The edition presented here is a bibliophile reprint completed on November 11, 1954 by printer E. Baudelot at 41, avenue Reille, Paris-14°. Set in Firmin Didot typeface at 12-point body and printed on pure rag BEK paper from the Papeteries de Rives, it is illustrated with original woodcuts engraved by Camille Berg. Copy no. 1139 was specially printed for M. Philippe de la Moureyre, giving it a remarkable personal provenance and singularity within this prestige print run.
Why add it to your collection?
- Numbered copy (no. 1139) of a luxury bibliophile edition printed on pure rag BEK paper from the Papeteries de Rives, ensuring optimal conservation and a material presentation of rare nobility.
- Enriched with original woodcuts by Camille Berg, a French book illustrator of the 1950s whose work remains little-known and highly sought after by collectors of post-war illustrated books.
- Set in Firmin Didot typeface at 12-point body by printer E. Baudelot, this edition meets the most exacting typographic standards of the mid-twentieth-century French bibliophile tradition.
- Specially printed for M. Philippe de la Moureyre, the copy carries a documented nominative provenance — an element of rarity and authenticity particularly prized by discerning collectors.
- Villiers de l'Isle-Adam, tutelary figure of Symbolism and pioneer of science fiction, is an author whose standing on the rare book market is steadily rising — owning a prestigious illustrated edition of his Histoires insolites represents an acquisition of strong heritage value.
Description
The Work and Its Literary Context Published in 1888 in Paris, the Histoires insolites represent the culmination of Villiers de l'Isle-Adam's long engagement with the short form. Bringing together twenty stories published mostly in the Gil Blas between 1883 and 1887, the collection explores the strangeness of the modern world through a simultaneously fantastic, satirical, and philosophical prism. With biting irony, Villiers addresses the failings of the bourgeoisie, the absurdities of the press, and his era's morbid appetite for sensational news items, while allowing a mystical idealism to surface — rooted in his readings of Hegel, Swedenborg, and the Neoplatonists. Stories such as Les Plagiaires de la foudre, La Céleste Aventure, and Le Sadisme anglais testify to an unbridled imagination and a stylistic mastery unmatched in fin-de-siècle French literature. The collection also includes Contes that broaden the author's thematic palette toward the marvelous and Symbolist allegory.
Physical Description of the Copy This 1954 bibliophile edition was completed on November 11 — a deeply symbolic date, the anniversary of the 1918 Armistice — by the Parisian printer E. Baudelot at 41, avenue Reille in the 14th arrondissement. The text is set in Firmin Didot typeface at 12-point body, a classical typeface of pure and elegant design that perfectly complements the simultaneously refined and sharp tone of Villiers's prose. The print run was executed on pure rag BEK paper from the Papeteries de Rives, a high-quality stock with a high textile fiber content guaranteeing sustained whiteness, excellent resistance to aging, and incomparable tactile quality. The work is enriched with original woodcuts engraved by Camille Berg, whose expressionist style and deep blacks perfectly capture the simultaneously phantasmagoric and ironic atmosphere of the stories.
Provenance and Numbering The copy bears the number 1139 and was specially printed for M. Philippe de la Moureyre, as noted in the colophon. This nominative designation is characteristic of French bibliophile editions of the first half of the twentieth century: it attests to a direct and personal relationship between the edition's commissioner and an identified collector. It constitutes a valuable element of traceability, adding a historical and human dimension to the book as object and reinforcing its value on the rare book market.
Collector's Interest Villiers de l'Isle-Adam is one of the great absent figures from French twentieth-century illustrated book collections: bibliophile editions of his works remain rare, poorly documented, and keenly contested when they appear on the market. This 1954 edition, with its woodcuts by Camille Berg, luxury paper, and nominative provenance, represents an exceptional piece for any collector specializing in Symbolist literature or post-war French illustrated books.
Mark it for later — it might just be waiting for you!
- Year
- ❧ 1954
- Century
- ❧ XX
- Author
- Auguste de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam
- Publisher
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- Maison Quantin – Le Libraire moderne, Paris
- Printer
- E. Baudelot, 41, avenue Reille, Paris-14°
- Illustrator
- Camille Berg
- Ex Libris
- Philippe de la Moureyre
- Ref #
- BRQ-507
- Dimensions
- 200 mm • 300 mm • 45 mm
- Weight
- 1050 gram
- Condition
- *** Good
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