THARAUD (Jérôme and Jean). - Lot 202

THARAUD (Jérôme and Jean). Dingley. The Illustrious Writer. Paris: Éditions des Cahiers, [1902]. — In-18, 183 x 127: (1 f.), 85 pp., printed cover. Red half-maroquin, decorated ribbed spine, untrimmed, cover preserved (Duhayon). First edition of the initial version of this novel, which would go on to win the Prix Goncourt in an expanded and revised edition in 1906. This novel is a satire on British colonialism and its sense of superiority. Dingley, a writer convinced of England’s civilizing mission, follows a soldier recruited from the slums of London to demonstrate how the British Empire can save the most destitute. But his journey to South Africa, where he witnesses the Boer War, turns tragic: his child dies, and he discovers “the world of pain” for the first time. Shaken, he wavers for a moment before regaining his blind faith in the Empire. Although Dingley is a scathing critic of British colonialism, the Tharaud brothers—themselves staunch nationalists and colonialists—do not question the very principle of imperialism—only its British version. This edition was not printed on large-format paper. Provenance: Georges Degryse, with bookplate. Included: - Dingley. The Illustrious Writer. Paris: Éditions des Cahiers, [1902]. — In-18, 183 x 125: 85 pp., (1 f.), printed cover. Half-cloth with Bradel corners, smooth spine, gilt head, untrimmed, cover preserved (contemporary binding). Another copy of the first edition. Provenance: Armand Sibien (1855–1918), architect, with bookplate and his monogram on the first endpaper. - Dingley. The Illustrious Writer. Paris: Éditions d’art Édouard Pelletan, 1906. — In-8, 214 x 153: (3 ff., first blank), 141 pp., (2 ff.), 14 pp. of catalog, (1 blank folio), printed cover. Brown half-maroquin with corners, ribbed spine, gilt head, untrimmed, cover and spine preserved (Semet and Plumelle). Second edition, largely original, dedicated to Romain Rolland. One of the few reprinted copies, on Arches vellum paper, unjustified; this copy comes from the library of Jules Exbrayat (1880–1958), founding president of the Société des Bibliophiles Franco-Suisses, enhanced by this autograph dedication signed on the half-title page: To Mr. // and Mrs. // Jules Exbrayat // this Dingley No. 2—and // this isn’t the last one! // Jérôme // and Jean // Tharaud // April 1943 A fine copy bound by Semet and Plumelle. Some scuffing on the spine and hinges. Provenance: Jules Exbrayat, with dedication and bookplate. - Bookplate of M. G. featuring the coat of arms and tools of an underground miner and the motto “Work and Tradition.”