Grandville, J. J.

Paris; J. Hetzel, 1842. First edition. 8:o. 26,5x19 cm. (7, 1 blank), 386, (6) pp. + 96 wood-engraved plates & (3, 1 blank), 390, (6) pp. + 105 wood-engraved plates. With numerous head- and tailpieces, initials and vignettes, engraved by Brévière, Godard, and others after drawings by Grandville. Two volumes in contemporary black full leather, raised band son spine, gilt in compartments, gilt edges and marbled endpapers. The bindings are slightly worn at extremities and have small losses at head of spine. The frontispiece in Vol. I has a vertical folding mark in the inner margin, close to the gutter, and the last two leaves in the register have a small rift in outer margin. Contents are clean and bright, with occasional light foxing. A well-preserved set. The publisher Hetzel, who also contributed with texts to this publication under the pen name P.-L. Stahl, states in the preface that the primary objective with this work was ""to give words to Grandville's marvellous animals, and to join our pen with his pencil, thereby coming to his assistance in criticizing the abberrations of our epoch, and by preference among these abberrations, those which are of every period and every country."" (Ray, The Art of the Illustrated French Book 1700 to 1914, 194). Vicaire VII:405-406.