LAMARTINE (Alphonse de). — History of the Girondins. - Lot 157

LAMARTINE (Alphonse de). — History of the Girondins. Paris: Furne & Co., publishers, 55 Rue Saint-André-des-Arts, and W. Coquebert, 48 Rue Jacob, 1847. 8 in-8 volumes, paperback, original printed covers, spines bearing the title, volume number, and date. FIRST EDITION, complete with all eight volumes. The work was published in 1847 and was an immediate and immense success: this sweeping epic of the French Revolution, comprising 61 books divided into eight volumes, played a major role in establishing the term “Girondins” in common usage and had a significant impact on the political climate leading up to the Revolution of 1848. The bibliographic collation of the original edition is as follows: Vol. I: III-458 pp.; Vol. II: 420 pp.; Vol. III: 400 pp.; Vol. IV: 398 pp.; Vol. V: 412 pp.; Vol. VI: 414 pp.; Vol. VII: 412 pp.; Vol. VIII: 383 pp. A 22-page Table of Contents, published separately after the work, was intended for subscribers and is sometimes found at the end of the eighth volume; its absence therefore does not prevent the copy from being classified as a first edition. A very interesting copy that has remained in paperback, in its original printed covers—a condition that has become significantly less common than copies bound at the time. Each of the eight covers bears the volume number and the publishers’ address; the spines are also printed with “A. de Lamartine—Histoire des Girondins,” along with the volume number and the year 1847. The first edition was originally published without illustrations; the series of portraits of figures from the Revolution, which are frequently found in bound copies, were added later, notably based on the illustrated edition by Raffet. Condition: complete set in its fragile publisher’s stitching. Covers and spines are heavily dusted and rubbed, with foxing, stains, and a few small losses and tears, more noticeable on certain spines and headbands; the bindings have naturally expanded over time. However, the preservation of the eight volumes in their original published condition is particularly noteworthy.