Les Contes Droatiques (Droll Stories) by Honore de Balzac | c.1875 | Illustrated by Gustove Dore | Leather Binding | Satirical French Classic

A richly illustrated 19th-century French edition of Honoré de Balzac’s Les Contes Drolatiques, one of the most visually celebrated collaborations between literature and illustration. This edition is illustrated with 425 detailed drawings by Gustave Doré, whose dramatic, expressive engravings bring Balzac’s bawdy, satirical tales vividly to life.

Published in Paris by Garnier Frères, the volume is bound in an elegant half leather binding with marbled boards, gilt-decorated spine compartments, and a black morocco title label lettered in gilt. 

Illustrated throughout with Doré’s unmistakable style—crowded scenes, fantastical figures, and theatrical compositions that reward slow browsing. Binding tight/ sound. Lovely gilt tooling to spine. Red edges. 615pp.

*Interior pages show scattered foxing and age-toning throughout

Condition: Good - Very Good

Size: 5 1/4” x 8 1/4”

This is a substantial and visually arresting book, equally suited to the shelf of a Balzac collector, a Doré enthusiast, or anyone drawn to 19th-century French illustrated literature.