Works of Charles Paul DeKock; All 42 MEMORIAL Ed. Vols; 53 John Sloan Etchings

Description: Offered for your consideration is a RARE COMPLETE SET of "The Novels, Tales, Vaudevilles, Reminiscences and Life of Charles Paul de Kock" (French 1793-1871), also known as "The Works of Charles Paul de Kock." These volumes were presented in elaborate, limited editions that were sold by subscription only. They were published between 1902 and 1908 by the Frederick J. Quinby Company of Boston. For sale now is set #13 from the MEMORIAL EDITION, "and that said edition is limited to and consists of two hundred fifty [250] numbered and registered sets; and that all the illustrations, etchings, title pages and decorations are original, and were conceived and executed expressly for this work." Quinby's productions contained an abundance of illustrations, and noteworthy artists of the period were commissioned to supply images that depicted de Kock's storylines. The most noteworthy are John Sloan, William Glackens, George Luks and Louis Meynell. Each octavo-size volume (9 3/16 by 6 3/8-inches) of this Memorial Edition set is uniformly bound in fine 3/4 crushed Red Morocco (goatskin) leather. The board pastedowns are marbled as are the endpapers. The Harcourt Bindery, owned by Quinby and Leopold Huegle, bound all volumes of this edition. The text is printed on cream wove, 32-pound, watermarked paper that presents "Memorial" in script in the top margin, "LIMITED TO 250 SETS" in block letters along the right edge and a de Kock fascimile signature also in script, "Ch. Paul de Kock," in the bottom margin. For each volume the top edges are gilt, and the side and bottom margins are untrimmed. Each decorative title page is printed in two colors alternating between red, two shades of green, and two of brown. The edition page indicates the set number and edition limitation . On the spine of each volume, spine-width, 1/8" tall, raised bands segregate the author's name, title and edition, and one of two (alternating), Art Nouveau-styled iris. The lettering and iris outline are incuse and have gilt detail. The iris petals are presented in color. Additionally, a 1/4"-wide red silk ribbon bookmark has been bound in. The condition of the set is "very good." The bindings are square and tight. There is no evidence of sunning. The pages are clean, crisp and without damage. The leather is robust given its age and is not dried out. All gilt top edges show luster. No foxing is evident, and no water or damp staining is present. Corners of a few volumes are bumped. Some raised bands on the spine show light wear. Two volumes, "Damsel" and "Edmund" show injuries to be noted. Both involve the lower portion of the front cover. Micro-dots of ink splatter are evident, and an attempt to remove this staining with water (presumably) were without success and caused shallow losses to the leather near the corners. See the photographs. One volume, "Cerrisette," shows rubbing of the gilt top edge. IMPORTANTLY, these Memorial Edition volumes contain the COMPLETE SET of the 53 JOHN SLOAN etchings commissioned by Quinby for his de Kock publications. De Kock was an observer and chronicler of middle and working-class Parisian social life in the first half of the 19th century. His satirical bent, plain language, ribald irreverence, slapstick violence and spicy humor were enthusiastically received by a broad American readership, and Sloan's illustrations capture the evocative nature of deKock's characters and social vignettes perfectly. This body of his work was very well received by deKock's readership and especially by his fellow artists. Sloan commented, "The experience I gained making over fifty plates during a period of three years did a great deal for my growth and proficiency as an etcher." Sloan's plates were printed by the Richard and Gustav Peters of Philadelphia. The quality of each printed image surpassed the printing standards of the day which included "card wiping" the ink from etched copper plates. Card wiping removes ink from all the unetched surfaces of the design. Thus, the appearance of the printed image is quite "clean and cold." The Peters brother's printing method for Sloan's etchings involved wiping each inked plate with fine tarlatan cloth using retroussage -- a technique of deftly drawing the cloth across the surface to spread a light film of ink to areas adjacent to the etched lines. This method created a very eye-appealing tonality or "atmosphere" to the image. Quinby sold his de Kock publications only by subscription. Fifty volumes were planned for the Memorial set; however only 42 were ever printed. As noted, Quinby stated his edition would be limited to 250 numbered sets; however, unnumbered individual volumes from at least three sets are known. Interestingly, 33 volumes from set #250 have been identified. Therefore, Quinby completed the full edition run. It must be stated, however, that most of sets were comprised of just 25 volumes. The subscription price of this 42 volume Memorial Edition set was $750.00! In the early 1900s the standard work week was 60 hours, and semi-skilled production workers' average wages were 16-cents per hour or $9.60 per week. Therefore, nearly two weeks' wages would be required to purchase one book. The 1902 subscription price of $750.00 converts to $26,900 in today's dollars. I stated this set is RARE. It is indeed. I have been a collector of de Kock/Sloan volumes for 30+ years. I have traced only five (5) complete, 42 volume, Memorial Edition sets in that time. The set I offer here is #13. Set #38 is owned by a Virginia bookseller, and it is available in the market presently. Actress Alice Frost's (1910-1998) set #100 (good condition) was marketed in 1907; its whereabouts is not known to me. PBA Galleries of San Francisco auctioned set #133 (very good) in September, 2007. It was purchased by a private collector. The hammer price alone was $2,500.00. Finally, the Kelvin Smith Library at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland has held a complete set since the 1960s. As of 2019 it was still on-hand and permanently impounded in the library's rare book collection. Regarding provenance, the original subscriber/owner of de Kock/Quinby/Sloan Memorial Edition set #13 was James Harrington Walker of Detroit's "American aristocracy" whose Ex Libris bookplate is affixed inside the front covers. Additionally, and by special arrangement with Quinby, Walker's ornate JHW's monogram was impressed in gilt into the cover of each volume. James Walker (1859-1919) was the fourth son of Hiram Walker (1816-1899), founder of the Hiram Walker and Sons Limited distillery of Walkerville, Ontario. Succeeding his there brothers, James was the president of the family enterprise from 1916 until his death. Hiram Walker and Sons produced Canadian Club Whisky, a rich and smooth blend that was the most popular whisky of its day. Canadian Club remains in production today. Set #13's provenance also includes Elizabeth Tallman Walker Paterson (1903-1952), daughter of James Walker and wife of financier H. H. Paterson. Elizabeth Walker's bookplate identifies her ownership. Herewith is a fine opportunity to acquire the full set of an important, attractive, high-quality literary publication. If you make the purchase and find time to read a few volumes, you will find de Kock to be a witty story-teller and engaging conversationalist. At various times, you will smile, chuckle, raise your eyebrows and wag your head. As always, your satisfaction is assured. Do not hesitate to contact me should you want more information or photographs re: the set or about de Kock, Quinby or Sloan.

Price: 2450 USD

Location: Ocala, Florida

End Time: 2024-12-27T05:20:01.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD