La vieille Garde impériale. Illustrations de JOB. [FIRST EDITION WITH ORIGINAL HAND-COLOURED PLATES]. by Houssaye, Henri [Henry], Jean de Mitty, Francois Coppée, Henri D'Alméras, Jules Mazé, Henri Guerlin, Maurice Barrès. Illustrations by JOB [Jean Onfroy de Breville]

Tours, Mame et Fils, ca. 1900.. Royal quarto (335 x 255mm). Pp. 245. Plus a total of 19 superb contemporary hand-coloured plates, printed on different paper, one of which is a frontispiece, the rest bound-in each at a beginning of a chapter, all protected by tissue guards. With 38 exquisite engravings, two to each chapter. Printed on fine heavy paper. Large illustrated device to title-page. Half title present. Individual title-page to each chapter. Hardcover, handsomely bound in spotless recent quarter buckram over pebble-grained black suede, title label printed in red and black to spine. In a very fine condition. A very handsome copy with all plates and illustrations in a wonderful state of preservation. Excellent. ~ First edition. A most attractive original work with fine impressions of the plates and with superior hand-colouration. Estimates about the exact publication year of this famous work vary. The prevailing assumption is that it was first published in around 1900, probably even shortly before. [See for that matter François Robichon: "JOB ou l'Histoire illustrée" Paris, 1984.] Sometime thereafter it was reprinted in a smaller quarto format, with monochromatic illustrations only. Consecutive editions (1929, 1933) were no longer hand-coloured. The seven authors, and JOB, dedicate a chapter to each of the Corps of the Old Imperial Guard: Napoléon a l'armée; Les Colonels généraux; Les Grenadiers a pied; Les Grenadiers Hollandais; Les Marins; Les Vétérans; Les Gendarmerie d'élite; Les Grenadiers a cheval; Les Dragons; Les Chasseurs a cheval; Les Mameloucks; Les Lanciers Polonais; Les Lanciers rouges; L'Artillerie a pied; L'Artillerie a cheval; Les Sapeurs du génie; Le Train d'artillerie; La Garde. ~ Henri Houssaye (1848-1911) was a French historian. While his early writings were devoted to classical antiquity, he took great interest in the military history of Napoleon I. He published several successful works on the subject; his book "1814" was published in no less than 46 editions.