Sales catalog featuring a selection of exquisite books. Empi - Lot 289

Sales catalog featuring a selection of exquisite books. Empire—Restoration—Romantic Period—First editions. Illustrated books—Exquisite bindings—Mosaic-bound volumes. London, Maggs Bros Ltd, 1938. Large quarto, paperback, printed cover. An important book catalog published by the renowned London firm Maggs Bros, one of the most prestigious dealers in rare books of the 20th century. This catalog, No. 661, is devoted to the finest French bibliophilic works from the Empire, Restoration, and Romantic periods, with particular attention paid to exceptional bindings, first editions, and illustrated works. The volume describes several hundred remarkable books, including numerous editions by Stendhal, Chateaubriand, Goethe, La Rochefoucauld, Le Sage, and Vigny. Each bibliographic entry is accompanied by detailed commentary on the featured copies, their provenance, their bindings, and their condition. The illustrations are one of the volume’s main attractions. It features 109 plates reproducing some of the most elegant French bookbindings of the 19th century, created notably by Simier, Thouvenin, Vogel, Kieffer, and Lenègre. These reproductions now offer a valuable insight into the bibliophilic tastes of the interwar period and into the outstanding copies that appeared on the international market. Beyond its original commercial purpose, this catalog has become a true reference work for enthusiasts of Romantic bookbinding, bibliographers, and collectors of antique booksellers’ catalogs. Condition Original paperback binding intact. Cover slightly yellowed and showing signs of handling, with minor signs of wear. Interior fresh, complete with all plates.