BECKFORD, William.

Lot 37
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700 - 800 EUR
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Result : 1 643EUR
BECKFORD, William.
Vathek, an Arab tale. Paris, Poinçot, 1787. In-8 (190 x 122 mm) of 190 pp., 1 f.n.ch. (Bookstore catalogue); speckled calf, decorated back with ribbon, blue slices (period binding). Quérard, I, 250; Bull. Morgand, 16840. First Parisian edition published shortly after the Lausanne edition by Isaac Hignou. First print (before the approval sheet is inserted, and with the thumbnail showing a fruit basket on the title). It is enriched with long Beckford notes covering the last 41 pages. This novel, is in the genre of the Gothic novel. It is reported that Beckford first wrote it in French and then translated it into English. As he points out in the introduction to the 1815 edition, this translation was printed in London as early as 1786: The translation, as we know, appeared before the original; it is very easy to believe that this was not my intention - circumstances, not very interesting for the public, were the cause." Another theory on the genesis of the novel is that it was written by Louis-Sébastien Mercier for four hands, and William Beckford Infime is a binding task but a fine example.
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