MAYNIAL (Édouard). The Life and Work of Guy de Maupassant. - Lot 233

MAYNIAL (Édouard). The Life and Work of Guy de Maupassant. Paris, Société du Mercure de France, 1906. In-12, full period combed paper binding, title label on the spine. First edition of this important biographical and critical study devoted to Guy de Maupassant, published just fifteen years after the writer’s death. Édouard Maynial, a literary critic closely associated with Symbolist circles and the *Mercure de France*, sets out to trace Maupassant’s intellectual development, his relationship with Flaubert, his literary rise, as well as the evolution of his novels and short stories. The book draws on numerous contemporary accounts, recollections from those close to him, and documents that are sometimes difficult to locate today. It remains one of the first comprehensive studies devoted to the author of *Bel-Ami*, *Pierre et Jean*, and *Une Vie*, and constitutes a valuable document for the history of the reception of his work in the early 20th century. Condition Full combed-paper binding, heavily worn and rubbed, with losses to the head and foot caps. Stitching weakened in places, though the volume is complete and held together securely. Paper uniformly browned. Some foxing and signs of wear. A working copy in its original binding.