CRÉBILLON fils (Claude-Prosper Jolyot de). — Tales in Dialog - Lot 64

CRÉBILLON fils (Claude-Prosper Jolyot de). — Tales in Dialogue. Paris, A. Quantin, printer and publisher, 7 rue Saint-Benoît, [circa 1880]. Large 8vo, red half-maroquin with corner pieces, ribbed spine, gilt title, red marbled paper covers with gilt head, original covers preserved. A fine edition of Crébillon Jr.’s *Contes dialogués*, published in A. Quantin’s *Petits Conteurs du XVIIIe siècle* series. A particularly well-crafted typographical edition, illustrated with numerous compositions in the 18th-century style, engraved and distributed throughout the text: frontispieces, gallant scenes, vignettes, end-piece illustrations, and ornaments. Printed in multiple colors, notably black, blue, and red. This copy bears the notation “Limited edition,” printed on fine laid paper. I would remain deliberately cautious regarding the exact nature of the print run: the photograph shows neither a numbered colophon nor a number that would allow it to be linked to a possible larger print run. Elegant red half-morocco binding, likely made slightly after the book was published. Some scuffing and small scratches on the spine and fore-edges; corners are slightly scuffed. The interior shows fairly pronounced foxing and soiling on the title page and the first few leaves, which becomes less noticeable further on; the paper is nevertheless well preserved. A lovely late-19th-century bibliophile volume dedicated to Crébillon the Younger (1707–1777), one of the most characteristic figures of 18th-century libertine and galant literature.