Eugenie Grandet I.

BALZAC, Honore de.

$1,200.00

Item Number: 130184

Paris: Librarie Larousse, n.d.

Finely bound Classiques Larousse edition of Balzac’s short novel, later revised to be included in his ambitious project, La Comédie humaine. Octavo, bound in full crushed green morocco by Sangorski and Sutcliffe with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, double gilt ruling and fleuron cornerpieces to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. In near fine condition.

While he was writing Eugénie Grandet, Balzac conceived his ambitious project, La Comédie humaine, and almost immediately prepared a second edition, revising the names of some of the characters so that Eugénie Grandet then fitted into the section: Scenes from provincial life (Scènes de la vie de province) in the Comédie. Eugenie Grandet was critically well received when published. So much so that Balzac complained, "Those who call me the father of Eugenie Grandet wish to belittle me. It is a masterpiece, I know; but it is a little masterpiece; they are very careful not to mention the great ones."