MÉRIMÉE (Prosper). Colomba. - Lot 235

MÉRIMÉE (Prosper). Colomba. Prose short story. Paris, Typographie François Bernouard, 1928. Large folio, paperback, printed and illustrated cover. A beautiful deluxe edition of Prosper Mérimée’s famous Corsican tale, illustrated with twenty-one etched frontispieces and two separate plates by Gaston Nick. The artist powerfully captures the tragic and untamed atmosphere of Mérimée’s Corsica, giving this edition a character particularly sought after by collectors of illustrated books from the interwar period. The print run, strictly limited to 107 copies, is distributed across various luxury papers. This volume is one of 79 numbered copies on Arches paper, bearing the number 67, following the first copies on Old Japanese, Imperial Japanese, and Van Gelder Holland paper. This print run specification attests to the care taken in the book’s production and its intended status as a bibliophile’s edition. Gaston Nick’s etchings, printed specifically for this edition, elegantly accompany the text and help make this volume one of the most captivating illustrated editions of *Colomba*. Condition Original paperback binding intact. Cover is slightly dusty with some foxing and visible marginal stains, mainly on the front and back covers. Interior is fresh and complete with all illustrations. Numbered copy on Arches paper.