Johann Wolfgang von Goethe [trans. by H. Blaze de Bury] — Faust

Paris, A. Quantin, 1880. Leather. A lovely French translation of Goethe's masterpiece centered on a scholar's wager with the devil, with the beautiful etchings of Adolph Lalauze. A lovely illustrated French translation of the German literary classic Faust, the magnum opus of prolific German writer and public intellectual Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Translated and with a preface by literary critic Henri Blaze de Bury. Parts I and II bound in one volume. Published in 1880, with Part I first published in 1808 and Part II first published in 1832. The first French of Part I in 1822. In half contemporary red morocco, with red marble end papers, an ex-libris bookplate, and the original blanks, half-title and tissue-guards preserved. Contains an etched frontispiece, and all eight other etched plates by prolfiic French artist Adolphe Lalauze, and numerous in-text illustrations by Méauille. Collated complete. A fascinating myth centered on a scholar's wager with the devil for a life of glory, Faust swept Europe in popularity as this lovely edition attests to and it remains among the greatest classics of German literature. This particular translation contains an insightful preface by de Bury, and is broguht to life by the etchings of Lalauze, who was awarded the Legion of Honour. In half contemporary red morocco, with red marble end papers, an ex-libris bookplate, and the original blanks, half-title and tissue-guards preserved. Externally, mostly smart, with faint fading to top edge of cloth front board. Slight rubbing to joints and a couple of rubbing marks to spine. Rubbing marks to the head and tail of the spine, with knocks and rubbing marks to the extremities. Marble end papers are bright and clean, with spotting to bookplate. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are mostly bright and clean, with faint browning to plate extremities and offsetting to leaves adjoining, heavier to frontispiece and title leaf. Very Good Indeed . Ill.: Various [Adolph Lalauze, Méauille, Wogel and Scott]. Very Good Indeed .