Old Goriot
New York: The Limited Editions Club, 1948. First Edition Thus. Presentation copy, out of series. One of 15 presentation copies, this example marked “G.M.” rather than numbered, likely for George Macy, founder of the Limited Editions Club; signed by the illustrator René ben Sussan on the colophon. Quarto, xv, 317 pages, publisher's original gilt-lettered black leather over marbled boards. Publisher's original marbled slipcase. Honoré de Balzac’s Old Goriot, here in the 1948 Limited Editions Club edition, is a finely produced first edition thus of one of the central novels of La Comédie Humaine, Balzac’s great panorama of 19th-century French society. Translated by Ellen Marriage, introduced by François Mauriac, designed by Sir Francis Meynell, and illustrated by René ben Sussan, this edition combines literary importance with the elegance of mid-20th-century fine press production. While the regular issue was limited to 1,500 signed copies, the present example is one of just 15 presentation copies issued out of series, marked “G.M.” rather than numbered and with an embossed seal, making it a notably scarcer and more desirable variant of this handsome Limited Editions Club publication. The top of the slipcase is detached, some rubbing, wear, and damage to the slipcase. Minor shelf wear, else in very good condition. Item #272
Price: $900.00