CHRISTOPHE — The Obsession of the Scholar Cosinus — 4th edit - Lot 51

CHRISTOPHE — The Obsession of the Scholar Cosinus — 4th edition, 1909 CHRISTOPHE [Georges Colomb, known as]. — The Obsession of the Scholar Cosinus. Paris, Librairie Armand Colin, 1909. Small 8vo, publisher’s binding in red percaline, front cover richly decorated in black and gold: large floral border, gilded rooster, and “Bibliothèque du Petit Français” medallion; title and author’s name gilded. Spine decorated and titled in black and gold, with a gilded rooster in the center; the publisher’s monogram stamped in black on the back cover. Fourth edition, expressly noted on the title page, published in 1909. Numerous black-and-white illustrations by Christophe in the text, arranged in narrative sequences with captions. The work is one of the great classics of early French comics: the adventures of the scholar Cosinus had begun to appear as a serial as early as 1893, before being published in book form by Armand Colin around 1899–1900. Christophe, the pseudonym of Georges Colomb (1856–1945), features Pancrace Eusèbe Zéphyrin Brioché, known as Cosinus, a scholar as erudite as he is prodigiously absent-minded, whose plan to travel around the world leads to a series of misadventures, absurd inventions, and satires of science and government. Attractive, highly decorative polychrome publisher’s hardcover binding, with the gold lettering on the front cover still clearly visible. Percaline cloth slightly faded and rubbed in places, with minor wear to the headband and corners. The interior shows fairly numerous foxing spots, particularly visible on certain leaves and in the margins; the paper is uniformly yellowed. Important note: the inner rear hinge is split and weakened, with the canvas/gauze visible, as clearly shown in the last two photographs. The cover remains attached.