ONE OF THE TEN BEST FRENCH ILLUSTRATED BOOKS OF THE BELLE EPOQUE: DAPHNIS AND CHLOE, ILLUSTRATED BY RAPHAEL COLLIN, BEAUTIFULLY BOUND

LONGUS. (COLLIN, Raphael, illustrator). Daphnis and Chloe. Paris: Société des Beaux Arts, circa 1900. Royal octavo, contemporary full olive levant morocco, gilt-decorated covers and spine with blue, red, and white morocco floral onlays, raised bands, morocco doublures with inset floral design, watered silk endpapers, top edge gilt. $1800.

Limited "Édition Artistique" of this classic tragedy, number 6 of only 75 large-paper copies, beautifully illustrated by Raphael Collin with fine engraved plates and in-text illustrations, all in double-suite—Collin's illustrated edition was considered to be one of the ten best French illustrated books of the Belle Epoque. A splendid copy in lovely inlaid morocco-gilt.

"There are works which will never cease to be reprinted, and which artists will ever love to illustrate according to their own individual fancies" (Jules Claretie, Preface). This classical Greek work, whose author Longus has not been fully identified, has been dated to the 2nd or early 3rd century CE. Described by one scholar as "an unknown best seller" (Giles Barber), Daphnis and Chloe is considered "the original, or earliest survivor" of the idyllic/pastoral romance (Hardin, Love in a Green Shade, 1). Raphael Collin's illustrated edition first appeared in 1890 in France, and was selected by Le Courier Français in 1895 as one of the top ten most successful illustrated books of the period (see Ray, The Art of the French Illustrated Book, 377). Collin, among the best known French illustrators of his day, produced a a title vignette, 12 plates, 17 in-text vignettes, five headpieces and six tailpieces, all in double-suite, with one of each of the full-page plates hand-colored, for this splendid edition.

Spine gently sunned, gilt bright. A beautiful volume in fine condition.