Description
FIRST EDITIONS of Four Gospels, Émile Zola's last novel cycle.
Unmarked current prints.
SIGNED AUTOGRAPH LETTERS on the first two volumes, Fertility and Work, to the writer Henri Demesse:
To Henri Demesse
his devoted colleague
Emile ZolaTo Henri Demesse
his friendly colleague
Emile Zola
A prolific naturalist, Demesse, along with Hector Malot and Gustave Toudouze, promoted the election of Zola as a member of the Société des gens de lettres "not by secret ballot, but by a show of hands, unanimously and by acclamation, without any prior report" (Mitterand, ZolaT. II p. 1016). Zola became its president on 6 April 1891.
Truththe third part of the cycle, appeared in LAurora on 10 September 1902. Ten days later, Zola died of poisoning in his flat in the rue de Bruxelles, leaving the scattered notes of Justicethe last volume to remain in draft form. As soon as it was published in L'Aurore in February 1903, Truth60,000 copies were printed under a mourning cover framed by a black band.
Copies in uniform bindings well established at the beginning of the 20th century.
Early 20th century bindings in half blue morocco, spine ribbed with gilt fillets, gilt titles on red morocco pieces, gilt fillet decoration on boards, gilt heads, bookmarks. Covers preserved without spines. Spines sunned on "Fécondité" and "vérité" volumes; paper uniformly browned. Some pencil notes to vol. 2 and 3.
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