CHATEAUBRIAND (François-René de). — *Les Natchez*. - Lot 47

CHATEAUBRIAND (François-René de). — *Les Natchez*. Paris: Lefèvre, bookseller, and Ladvocat, bookseller, 1829. 2 volumes, in-8, 344 pp.; 384 pp. Contemporary fawn half-basane, smooth spines, title and volume number labels in brown morocco, marbled paper covers, speckled edges. First separate edition of *Les Natchez*. The text had first appeared in 1826, comprising volumes XIX and XX of the first collected edition of Chateaubriand’s Complete Works; the 1829 edition is the first publication of the work under its own title, in two separate volumes. Conceived very early in Chateaubriand’s career, following his stay in America, *Les Natchez* is a vast romantic epic in which the destinies of Chactas, Atala, and René unfold. The novel blends an Indian epic, a description of the New World, religious and historical reflection, and themes that would become emblematic of French Romanticism. A complete set of both volumes in a contemporary binding. The collation matches that of this edition: 344 pages for the first volume and 384 pages for the second. Bindings are quite heavily rubbed, particularly on the spines and heads; headbands and footbands are worn, with some leather peeling and small areas of leather missing, and the corners are blunt. Foliolation marks and some water stains or marginal discoloration, more noticeable in the second volume; nevertheless, a sturdy copy that has retained its original condition. An interesting first separate edition of *Les Natchez*, preserved in its two volumes and in period bindings.