DAUDET (Alphonse). - Lot 43

DAUDET (Alphonse). Tartarin of Tarascon. Paris: C. Marpon, E. Flammarion, 1887. — In-18, 185 x 120: (6 blank folios), 233 pp., (3 ff.), illustrated cover. Bradel half-percale binding in beige with corner pieces, smooth spine, untrimmed, cover preserved (contemporary binding). First illustrated edition, published in the “Collection artistique Guillaume et Cie.” First published in 1872, this novel recounts the burlesque adventures of Tartarin, an antihero from Tarascon who dreams of traveling to Africa to hunt lions. A colorful character, both boastful and timid, Tartarin embarks on an eventful journey to Algeria, where he encounters wild animals, Bedouins, and swindler adventurers. Instead of the heroic epic he had hoped for, he experiences a series of farcical adventures and misunderstandings, even going so far as to feed a lion instead of killing it. Upon his return to Tarascon, he is welcomed as a hero by his fellow citizens. The novel is a satire of the provincial bourgeoisie and southern braggadocio, blending humor, exoticism, and social criticism. The edition features a color illustration by Rossi on the cover, as well as numerous black-and-white illustrations within the text and full-page illustrations based on works by Jules Girardet, Montégut, Félicien de Myrbach, Picard, and Rossi. One of 100 numbered copies on Japanese paper (no. 31), the only edition printed on large-format paper. It comes from the library of the bookseller and publisher Léon Conquet (1848–1897), bearing his bookplate, etched by Champollion after a drawing by Giacomelli. Spine slightly warped. Small foxing spots on the endpapers. Provenance: Léon Conquet, with bookplate.