BOYLESVE (René). — *A Lesson in Love in a Park*. Color illus - Lot 41

BOYLESVE (René). — *A Lesson in Love in a Park*. Color illustrations by A. Calbet. Paris, L'Édition d'Art H. Piazza, 1942. In-8, 259 pp., paperback, illustrated color-embossed cover, spine and front cover printed in blue, untrimmed. An elegant illustrated edition of René Boylesve’s famous novel, first published in 1902. It is adorned with 31 color illustrations by Antoine Calbet, including a frontispiece, 5 separate plates, 24 large illustrations within the text, and the cover vignette. Headers, initials, and tailpieces printed in blue; the decorative motifs were specially designed by André Ballet. Limited edition of 3,000 copies: 30 on super-pearlescent Japanese paper with color plates and an original watercolor, 170 on Van Gelder Holland paper with a black-and-white plate set, and 2,800 copies on “Ivorine” vellum from Papeteries Boucher. One of the 2,800 copies on “Ivorine” vellum, this one being No. 532. A novel that is at once libertine, ironic, and delicate, *La Leçon d’amour dans un parc* depicts the amorous games of a castle society, observed through the still-innocent eyes of a child. Antoine Calbet’s illustrations, with their light and sensual tones, complement the spirit of the text particularly well. A beautiful paperback copy, preserved in its original padded cover. Interior is fresh. Cover is slightly browned with a few small marks and normal signs of wear; spine is clean. A well-preserved copy of this lovely Piazza publication.