Chansons de P.J. Béranger Anciennes, Nouvelles et Inédites

Paris: Baudouin Frères, Éditeurs, 1828. Pierre-Jean de Béranger "The Most Popular French Songwriter of All Time"
"The First Superstar of French Popular Music"
Forty Hand Colored Lithograph Plates by Henri Monnier

MONNIER, Henri, illustrator. Chansons de P.J. Béranger Anciennes, Nouvelles et Inédites, avec des vignettes de Devéria et des dessins coloriées d'Henri Monnier. Suivies des Procès Intentés a l'Auteur. Paris: Baudouin Frères, Éditeurs, 1828.

First edition. Two octavo volumes (8 5/8 x 5 5/8 inches; 220 x 143 mm.). [iv], iv, [1]-439, 1, blank]; [iv], [1]-438 pp.

Forty superb hand colored lithograph plates by Henri Monnier and numerous charming black & white vignettes by Achille Devèria.

Handsomely bound ca. 1890 by Paul-Romain Raparlier (stamp signed in black on verso of front endpapers) in three quarter red morocco over marbled boards, ruled in gilt. Spines with five raised bands elaborately tooled and lettered in gilt in compartments, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt, others uncut.

A very fine copy of this extremely rare Monnier title complete with all forty hand colored plates.

KVK locates no complete copies; OCLC locates just one complete copy in libraries and institutions worldwide: Paris-Est Marne-La-Vallee-Bu (France).

Pierre-Jean de Béranger (1780-1857) was a prolific French poet and chansonnier (songwriter), who enjoyed great popularity and influence in France during his lifetime, but faded into obscurity in the decades following his death. He has been described as "the most popular French songwriter of all time" and "the first superstar of French popular music". The Chansons were composed with fastidious care and are most notable for their clarity, wit and incisiveness, however the socialist and revolutionary content of his songs resulted in several brushes with the authorities, resulting in his nine month incarceration in La Force Prison.

RAPARLIER, Paul-Romain (1858-1900), binder. Master French Art Nouveux bookbinder Paul-Romain Raparlier "was the most enthusiastic innovator and the boldest French binder of the Nouveau period. He execrted many commissions from the London bookseller Henry Sotheran.


The plates:

1. Le Roi d'Yvetot
2. La Bacchante
3. Le Sénateur
4. La Gaudriole
5. Roger Bontemps
6. Ma Grand'Mère
7. Ma Mère Aveugle
8. Le Petit Homme Gris
9. La Bonne Fille
10. L'Éducation des Demoiselles
11. Madame Grégoire
12. Les Gueux
13. Le Vieux Célibataire
14. Le Commencement du Voyage
15. Requête des Chiens de Qualité
16. Vieux Habits! Vieux Galons!
17. Le Nouveau Diogène
18. Le Maitre d'École
19. La Chatte
20. Bon Vin et Fillette
21. L'Habit de Cour
22. Ce n'est plus Lisette
23. L'Hiver
24. la Bonne Vieille
25. La Vivandière
26. L'Exilé
27. La Bouquetière et le Croque-Mort
28. Le Bon Vieillard
29. L'Aveugle de Bagnolet
30. Les Cartes ou L'Horoscope
31. La Marquise de Pretintaille

32. Le Tailleur et la Fée
33. Le Violon Brisé
34. Les Hirondelles
35. La Fuite de l'Amour
36. Le Vieux Sergent
37. Le Voyageur
38. Le Grenier
39. Les Deux Grenadiers
40. Les Souvenirs du Peuple

Champfleury, Monnier p.364; Escoffier, The Romantic Movement N°675; Marie, 653-692; Vicaire I-402.