Description (ph13)
Uncommon Large Paper edition, delivered with the Master Lalauze's engravings in triple proof.
In an elegant Morocco binding by Carayon.
Adolphe Lalauze :
His tender images, often in the register of tales, and worked on steel with finesse, like thousands of scratches from small needles, led Lalauze to be frequently commissioned to illustrate novels and short stories, notably for bibliophile works published by Damase Jouaust, for which he executed numerous frontispieces.
Alain-René Lesage :
It was with The Devil upon Two Sticks (Le Diable boiteux) that Lesage announced himself as a first-rate novelist. The success of the novel, which was considerable, finally distinguished Lesage's name from the crowd of other writers.
It is a series of examples taken from life that teach the student-spectator about life, its lies, its turpitude, and its deceptive appearances, but also about hope and generosity. Blending fantasy and comedy of manners, Lesage satirizes Parisian society, even though he localizes his story in Madrid.
Emile Carayon (1843-1909) :
Here is what Octave Uzanne wrote about him in Reliure moderne artistique et fantaisiste (Modern Artistic and Imaginative Bookbinding), published in 1887 :
Around 1875, a bookbinder of great talent in his style appeared in Paris, Mr. Carayon, who, breaking with everything that had been done in the genre until then, became a true artistic cardboard worker, and composed Levant morocco bindings with flat spines and corners, with such complete craftsmanship that they could be compared, for the way they are treated, to the most dainty full bindings of the masters.
