Berquin – Œuvres Choisies | Historiettes, Drames et Contes pour la Jeune Âge | Ornate Gilt-Stamped French Binding | Paris, 19th Century

A beautifully produced 19th-century French volume of selected works by Arnaud Berquin issued in an exceptionally decorative publisher’s binding.

Titled Œuvres Choisies, this volume gathers Berquin’s historiettes, dramas, and moral tales for young readers, a genre that played an important role in French literary and educational culture of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The text is choisis, classés, revus, and preceded by a notice on Berquin, reflecting its intention as a refined and instructive edition.

The book is bound in black textured cloth, lavishly gilt-stamped on the front board with an elaborate architectural and figural design, incorporating classical motifs, allegorical figures, and ornamental flourishes. The rear board features a complementary gilt urn design, framed by blind-stamped borders.

Internally, the volume is illustrated engraved plates, many signed in the plate, depicting domestic, moral, and pastoral scenes that complement Berquin’s didactic narratives. 

Binding tight. Gilt to all edges. Gilt vibrant to edges and boards. Pages clean. 

Condition: Very Good

Size: 5 1/2” x 8”

Published in Paris by Amédée Bédelet, Libraire, rue des Grands-Augustins, this edition exemplifies the elegance of French book production intended for family libraries and youthful instruction, while today appealing strongly to collectors of French literature, illustrated children’s books, and ornate gilt bindings.