BARBEY D'AUREVILLY (Jules) - Lot 24

BARBEY D'AUREVILLY (Jules) THE KNIGHT OF THE KEYS. Illustrations by Gaston Pastré. Paris, Henri Jonquières & Cie, “Les Beaux Romans” series, 1924. In-8, 262 pp., paperback, ivory-colored filled cover printed in black and red, printed spine, publisher’s vignette on the front cover and a vignette on the back cover, untrimmed. A BEAUTIFUL ILLUSTRATED EDITION OF *LE CHEVALIER DES TOUCHES*, FROM JONQUIÈRES’ “BEAUX ROMANS” COLLECTION. It is illustrated by Gaston Pastré (1881–1947) with numerous illustrations within the text and full-page plates, some printed in multiple tones. The artist, a draftsman and wood engraver, contributed to various magazines and exhibited at the Salon des Humoristes. Barbey d’Aurevilly’s novel, first published in book form in 1864, features Chevalier Des Touches as its hero—a character inspired by the Chouan Jacques Destouches, a royalist courier during the Revolution and later under the Consulate and the Empire. LIMITED EDITION OF 1,201 COPIES, distributed as follows: 1 unique copy on Marais vellum containing Pastré’s original drawings; 40 copies on Marais vellum; 60 on Van Gelder Holland paper; and 1,100 copies on Rives-dyed vellum, including 100 not for sale. In addition, 25 copies were printed on Madagascar Lafuma paper, reserved for the Society of Bibliophile Physicians. ONE OF THE COPIES ON TINTED RIVES VELLUM, THIS ONE NO. 941. The work is the tenth volume in the “Les Beaux Romans” collection. Printing was completed on December 15, 1924, on the presses of R. Coulouma in Argenteuil; the color illustrations are by Eugène Charpentier. A PLEASANT COPY PRESERVED IN PAPERBACK, IN ITS ORIGINAL PUBLISHER’S COVER WITH FLAPS. Good overall condition. Cover slightly browned with a few small marks and signs of wear; spine more evenly browned, head and corners slightly creased. Interior fresh overall, with a few rare small foxing spots. Untrimmed copy, binding satisfactory.