Published by Collins Clear-Type Press, c.1900. First edition thus. Undated. Illustrated Pocket Classics. Illustrated by Paul Hardy. 385pp. Condition: Very Good.
Bound in original red cloth boards with title and decoration in gilt to the spine. Some fading to the spine and a little rubbing and bumping to the boards, but the binding is otherwise in smart condition. Inside, the pages are clean and bright and free from marks or damage save for a touch of toning. There is a small tear, only a couple of millimetres to the bottom of pages 217-220.
In all, this is a very smart edition of this classic by Balzac, one of his greatest novels. It follows the rise and fall of Cesar Birotteau, an honest perfumer who is tempted into overextending himself by du Tillet, an an employee fired by Birotteau for embezzlement. Du Tillet is out for revenge, and Birotteau falls hard, but all s not yet lost, as Anselme Popinot, a brilliant young marketer in love with Birotteau's daughter, works to help Birotteau recover his honour.