Le Horla

BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD 191
1. Bibliographic data
Author
Maupassant, Guy de, 1850-1893
Title
Le Horla
Statement of responsibility
Par Guy de Maupassant; drawings by Julien-Damazy; wood engravings by G. Lemoine
Place of publication
Paris
Publisher
Société d’Éditions Littéraires et Artistiques; Librairie Paul Ollendorff
Series
Œuvres complètes illustrées
Printer
Not identified
Date
Ca. 1890
Imprint (isbd)
Paris: Société d’Éditions Littéraires et Artistiques; Librairie Paul Ollendorff, ca. 1890
Language
French
Tirage
Limited edition of 125 numbered copies on luxury papers; present copy on papier vélin
2. Physical description
Collation
288 pages; interspersed woodcut illustrations
Illustrations
Drawings by Julien-Damazy engraved on wood by G. Lemoine
Format
19 cm; octavo
Dimensions
19 cm
Paper type
Luxury laid paper; numbered copy on papier vélin within the limited edition
Watermarks
Not visible in the supplied images
Printing condition
Roman typography; carefully printed with wood-engraved illustrations; wide margins
3. Binding
Binding type
Contemporary half leather binding with corners
Colours
Black; burgundy and black marbled boards
Decoration
Gilt fillets on spine; gilt titles
Spine
Smooth black leather spine with gilt tools and stamped date “1898”
4. Content
Content description
Illustrated edition of Le Horla and other tales by Guy de Maupassant within the “Œuvres complètes illustrées” series. Includes fantastic and psychological stories representative of French fin-de-siècle decadence and fantastic fiction. Le Horla itself is considered one of the foundational texts of modern fantastic literature and of the theme of mental doubling
5. General notes
Note 1
Illustrated edition with drawings by Julien-Damazy engraved on wood by G. Lemoine
Note 2
Limited edition of 125 numbered copies on luxury papers
Note 3
The present copy belongs to the papier vélin issue
Note 4
Preserves an elegant and solid contemporary binding
Note 5
Manuscript signature of Alfred Gallart on inner title page
Note 6
The spine bears the gilt initials “A.G.” corresponding to ownership marks of Alfred Gallart i Genis
6. Subjects
Main subject
Nineteenth-century French fantastic literature
Subsubjects
Psychological horror; hallucination and madness; double personality; decadent fiction; fin-de-siècle fantastic literature; illustrated French tales
7. Copy record
Shelfmark
191
Condition
Very good; clean paper with slight spotting and usual marginal oxidation; firm binding; well-preserved interior
Provenance
Library of Alfred Gallart i Genis
Copy notes
Luxury-paper copy from a limited edition; with woodcut illustrations and manuscript provenance signature