DE COSTER (Charles). La Légende et les aventures héroïques, joyeuses et glorieuses d'Ulenspiegel et de Lamme Goedzak au pays de Flandres et ailleurs. Brussels, Paris, Leipzig, Livorno: A. Lacroix, Verboeckhoven & Cie, 1867. - In-4, 299 x 240 : VIII, (2 ff.), 480 pp. 32 plates, illustrated cover. Red half-maroquin with corners, gilt filets, spine decorated, gilt head, untrimmed, cover and spine kept (L. Claessens). Very rare first edition of this historical fresco by Charles De Coster, illustrated with 15 original etchings outside the text. UNIQUE EDITION, SET UP AT THE TIME BY THÉODORE HIPPERT (1839-1919), passionate about etchings and a great collector, secretary of Félicien Rops at the International Society of Aquafortists created in Brussels by the latter in 1869. It is enriched with the following items: - cover, plates and spine, of the 1867 edition, - cover, plates and spine, of the 1869 edition illustrated with three compositions after Alfred Hubert, - false-title, title, preface and table of the second edition of 1869 . The preface, entitled Preface du hibou, is signed " Bubulus Bubb " ; it includes at the head a nice woodcut engraved by Léon Becker, - the etchings of the original edition and of the 1869 edition, that is to say 32 etchings out of text by Félicien ROPS, Alfred HUBERT, Adolf DILLENS , Paul LAUTERS, Louis ARTAN, Charles DE GROUX, Camille VAN CAMP, Auguste DANSE, Léon BECKER, Hippolyte BOULENGER, Gustave BIOT, Hendrick SCHAEFELS, Paul VAN DER VIN, Joseph DUWÉE, Louis JAUGEY, Edmond de SCHAMPHELEER, P-J. CLAYS and Théodore FOURMOIS, - a page of impression entitled " La Vraie légende d'Ulenspiegel ", including in head an original sketch of Félicien Rops (according to a separate note of Théodore Hippert) . It is a single page constituting "an attempt at justification before the composition of the book" (note of Hippert), - numerous states of most of the etchings . In total there are more than 70 STATUS EPREUVES, some unique, others retouched in pencil. The copy is also enriched with two handwritten sheets listing all the enclosures. One of them is in the hand of Theodore Hippert who concludes as follows: "This copy must be considered as unique. The first informed states are untraceable and some of them absolutely unique. I was able to gather them thanks to the kindness of Messrs De Coster and Jeangey. The drawings seem to be at Mr. Willems". A few small rubs from use, not serious. Provenance: Théodore Hippert, with bookplate and autograph note.