BERNARDIN de SAINT-PIERRE Jacques-Henri. Paul et Virginie et la Chaumière indienne.
Paris, Curmer, 1838.

In-4 (260  x 175 mm), (10) ff., LVI-(1)-458 pp., (1) f.
Full cypress green chagrin, double gilt fillet framing the covers with a poly-lobed composition in cold gilt in the centre and gilt branches in the spandrels, smooth spine decorated with volutes of double gilt fillet with gilt branches, double gilt fillet on the edges, gilt edges, quintuple gilt fillet on the endpapers, ivory moiré lining and endpapers.

This famous edition is one of the jewels in the crown of Romantic illustrated books.
It includes 450 wood-engraved vignettes and 29 plates printed on chine, all in captioned serpents except for the portrait of the author at the beginning of the work. There is also a coloured map of the Ile de France by Dyonnet.
The vignette of the ‘good woman’ is present on page 418.

A superb copy.