HUGO (Victor). Bug-Jargal, by the author of Han of Iceland. Paris: Urbain Canel, 1826. — In-18, 156 x 102: frontispiece, (2 ff.), IV, 386 pp., (1 f.), printed cover. Paperback, untrimmed, with a modern cover featuring a havana-colored morocco spine and a modern slipcase. A sought-after first edition of Victor Hugo’s first novel, which he wrote in 1818 at the age of 16. The story takes place in Saint-Domingue in 1791, at the start of the Black slave revolt. The young officer Léopold d’Auverney is engaged to his cousin Marie, but an African slave, Bug-Jargal, harbors a secret love for the young woman. Elected king of the rebellious Blacks, the noble and heroic Bug-Jargal saves Marie from the insurgents at the risk of his own life. Betrayed and sentenced to death by his own companions, he dies a hero, leaving d’Auverney broken with grief. This early novel explores dignity, heroism, and the tragic drama of slavery. “Victor Hugo’s artistry, as it would later be revealed in his other novels and plays, is already evident in *Bug-Jargal*; it is certainly a unique example of continuity in inspiration in a writer” (Dictionnaire des œuvres, 1980 ed., I, p. 515). The work was first published in 1820 as a short story serialized in issues 11 through 15 of *Le Conservateur littéraire*. This initial draft was considerably revised for this first edition of 1826. The illustration consists of a beautiful frontispiece by Achille Devéria, etched by Pierre Adam and dated 1825. A paperback copy, as originally published, in extremely rare condition. It comes from the prestigious library of Jean Bonna. The cover is soiled and features skillful restorations. Provenance: Jean Bonna, with bookplate.