Thais (1948, in a unique leather binding)

With 10 colour lithographs by Suzanne Ballivet, and from the library of Gordon R Smith with a signed Lynn Paula Russell bookplate

Author

Publisher

Printing Details

First edition thus. Limited to 4000 copies, this being number 694. Hardback, finely rebound in a unique full leather binding, with the frontispiece plate repeated and tipped in on marbled paper to the upper board, gilt titling and contrasting title label to spine. Housed in a marbled card slipcase. Marbled endpapers. Fore-edge untrimmed. 19.5 × 14.5cm, 252pp. French text.

From the library of noted collector Gordon R Smith, with his Ex Erotica bookplate by Lynn Paula Russell, and signed by her in pencil lower right and dated 1995. Russell is an artist specialising in scenes of an erotic nature having been the illustrator for the magazines Janus and Februs, and has produced a number of books, as well as being know for her Ex Erotica bookplates.

First published in 1890, this is Anatole France's story of Paphnutius, a young Alexandrian debauche turned monk. Leading an ascetic life in the desert, he interprets his voluptuous dreams of the famous courtesan Thais as a call to convert her to Christianity. He succeeds in this aim, and she lives a short but saintly life as a hermit. Paphnutius, however, still dreams of her. In his attempt to hide from himself his lust for her, he mortifies his flesh relentlessly, and even spends some times as a stylite atop a high pillar, Finally he realizes his true feelings and tries to persuade her to flee the convent with him. As she dies, the abbess sends him away, horrified at the savagery that is finally revealed in his face.

This edition illustrated with ten colour lithographs (frontispiece and 9 within the text) by Suzanne Ballivet. The illustrations are mildly erotic, displaying some nudity but Ballivet has created a set of delicate and restrained lithographs which serve the story well.

Condition

This copy is in very good condition indeed. The leather binding is in excellent condition, the contents are clean and well bound. Light shelfwear to the slipcase but this is also good.