[LA FONTAINE, Jean de].
La Fontaine en estampes, ou nouvelle édition des fables, plus complète que les précédentes; précédée de la vie de l'auteur, extraite du nouvel ouvrage de M. Walckenaer.
Paris, Auguste Nepveu, 1821. 4to. With an engraving on the title-page (Aesop talking with the animals before a bust of La Fontaine) and 110 half-page engravings illustrating the fables. Contemporary half brown sheepskin, sewn on recessed supports, purple decorated paper sides, gold-tooled spine with title and author in gold, gilt edges, silk endpapers and paste-downs. "XXIV" [= XXVIII, pp. XXV-XXVI and XXVII-XXVIII are misbound), 462 pp.
€ 3,500
Beautifully illustrated edition of the French verse fables of Jean de La Fontaine, loosely based on fables by Aesop, Horace and others and first published in the years 1668-1694 here including a "Précis de la vie de J. de La Fontaine", an abridged version of the biography by Charles Athanase Walckenaer, published in 1820. At the end of the biography, the author states that this edition was especially intended for young people, which is also reflected by the fact that below each fable there are some explanatory notes for children.
The beautiful engravings, including that on the title-page were drawn from the magnificent series by Jean Baptiste Oudry (1686-1755) in the 1755-1759 Paris edition of La Fontaine's fables.
The binding is slightly rubbed, especially around the spine, the edfes and corners of the boards are somewhat scuffed, some stains on the paste-downs and endpapers. Page XXV-XXVI has been erroneously bound in between pages XX-XXI, and page XXVII-XXVIII is bound in between pages XIV-XV. Otherwise in good condition. Rochambeau 305; cf. Fabula docet 51 (1755-1759 Paris ed.); not in Gumuchian.
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