Anatole France — Clio

Paris , Calmann Levy , 1900. First edition. Leather. A sought after first edition of Anatole France's novel, 'Clio', complete with Alphonse Mucha's beautiful colour plates. The first edition of this work. Handsomely bound in quarter crushed morocco with marbled boards and decorative gilt to the spine.Decorated with eleven colour illustrations by Czech painter and graphic artist, Alphone Mucha, six of which are plates and five of which are chapter headings. Collated, complete, although not bound with original front cover which has an additional coloured illustration. 'Clio' centres around a blind old poet known as the Vieillard, who reflects on his life as he wanders ancient Kyme. It was written by French poet, journalist and novelist Anatole France, who won the 1921 Nobel Prize in Literature and authored several best-sellers. He was a member of the Académie Française and was considered the ideal French man of letters in his day. In a quarter crushed morocco binding, with marbled boards and endpapers. Externally, very smart, with mild rubbing to the extremities and slight fading to the leather. Internally, firmly bound. Endpapers are age toned, otherwise generally bright and clean, with the odd spot. Near Fine . Ill.: Alphonse Mucha. Near Fine .