BERNARDIN DE SAINT-PIERRE (Jacques-Henri-Bernardin de Saint- - Lot 25

BERNARDIN DE SAINT-PIERRE (Jacques-Henri-Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, known as). Paul et Virginie. ÀParis, de l'imprimerie de Monsieur, 1789. In-18, xxxv-(one)-243-(one)pp. in fawn calf, smooth spine partitioned and decorated with gilt irons depicting beehives surrounded by bees and a harvesting love, gilt fillet and gilt ring frieze framing the boards, filleted coupes, ornate chasses, gilt edges; binding a little rubbed with fragile joins, spine tarnished and boards a little stained (English binding of the period). First separate edition published the year after the original. Copper-engraved illustrations: 4 plates hors texte, 3 from drawings by Jean-Michel Moreau dit Moreau le Jeune, and one from a drawing by Joseph Vernet. Copy with contemporary illuminated title and frontispiece leaves: the printed faux-title has been ironed with gilded paint; for the title, all printed lines except the last two have been ironed in gold paint; the woodcut coat of arms has been engraved and covered with a paper pastille adorned with the ex-libris numeral "AJ" in blue ink punctuated with silver dots in a halo of gold paint grapes; the quotation printed in exergue has been covered with another pastille adorned with fillets in gold paint and palmettes in blue paint punctuated with silver dots.