L'Abbe Constantin

Paris: Calmann Levy; Boussod, Valadon, 1888. Leather. Near Fine. 10" by 7". Madame Madeleine Lemaire. A beautifully illustrated copy of Ludovic Halevy's novel 'L'Abbe Constantin', illustrated with colour plates by Madame Madeleine Lemaire. In the original French. 'L'Abbe Constantin' is a novel about an old priest, the Abbot Constantine, who is informed about the death of a good friend of his, the friend having left his fortune to a former American actress, and therefore a 'heretic', who used the inheritance to buy a castle and almost an entire village alongside it. Illustrated with eighteen colour plates and numerous in-text engravings. Written by Ludovic Halevy. Halevy was a French author and playwright, who often worked in collaboration with Henri Meilhac, together writing 'La Belle Helene', 'Barbe-Bleue', 'La Perichole', and more. Illustrated by Madame Madeleine Lemaire. Lamiare was a French painter, who was known for her elegant genre works and flower still lives. She was noted for introducing Marcel Proust and Reynaldo Hahn to the salons of the Parisian aristocracy. Collated, complete. In a half morocco binding with marbled paper to the boards. Externally, smart. Some light marks to the boards. A couple of light spots to the fore edge. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are bright and clean with the odd mark. Near Fine