Author: [LA FONTAINE, Jean de].
Title: 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.
Description: "XXIV" [= XXVIII, pp. XXV-XXVI and XXVII-XXVIII are misbound), 462 pp.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.Binding slightly rubbed, especially around the spine, worn around the edges, corners a little bumped, some stains on the paste-downs and endpapers, pp. XXV-XXVI erroneously bound in between pp. X-XXI even as pp. XXVII-XXVIII which are bound in between pp. XIV-XV. Otherwise in good condition.l Rochambeau 305; cf. Fabula docet 51 (1755-1759 Paris ed.); not in Gumuchian.

Keywords: [94684889A2BD] BOOK HISTORY, EDUCATION, LEARNING & PRINTING|[94684889A2BD] BOOK HISTORY, EDUCATION, LEARNING & PRINTING -> [478298C522AC] Education (incl. Children Books)|[6369B77AC038] LITERATURE & LINGUISTICS|[6369B77AC038] LITERATURE & LINGUISTICS -> [