Honoré de Balzac; J. Lewis May — Ten Droll Tales

London, John Lane The Bodley Head Limited, 1926 . First edition. Cloth. First edition of Honoré de Balzac's classic, controversial Droll Tales, profusely illustrated by Jean de Bosschère in black and white and colour. First edition. Limited to 3000 copies.In publisher's original orange cloth binding.With a frontispiece and 23 black-and-white and colour plates. Collated, complete.Two pages of publisher's advertisements to the rear of the text.Introduction by André Maurois included in both the translated English and the original French.Translated by J. Lewis May from the original French of Honoré de Balzac, renowned novelist and playwright. Ten stories from the infamous Les Cent Contes drolatiques. Whilst the title promises 100, only 30 tales were ever published. These satirical, lascivious volumes were based on Giovanni Boccaccio's The Decameron and penned in pastiche Renaissance French.Illustrated by the likes of Gustave Doré and Albert Robida over the course of differing editions, this work includes plates by credited Belgian painter Jean de Bosschère, best known for his recognisable erotic style that blends the sexual and the spiritual. In publisher's original orange cloth binding. Externally, very smart with slight bumping, rubbing and general shelf wear. Minor marking to both boards, more noticeable to the rear. Internally, generally firmly bound. Pages feature slight spotting to the first and last few pages, otherwise bright and clean. Very Good . Ill.: Jean de Bosschère. Very Good .