La legende du violon de faience

Paris: Librairie L. Conquet, 1895 The Robert Hoe Copy, specially made for him and so stated on the limitation page in ink: "Exemplaire offert/à Monsieur Robert Hoe/ L. Conquet." Limited to 150 copies, of which this is number 68.This copy is distinguished as having two separate (and identical) suites of illustrations, interspersed within the text. Of the thousands of books in the Robert Hoe collection, this is one of only a few in which he commissioned a special product from the publisher. In a superb contemporary embroidered binding on silk, consisting of elaborate floral motifs, ribbon patterns, and buds, all in colored silk embroidery on cream-colored silk padded covers. Gilt lettering on spine, marbled endpapers with leather bookplate of Robert Hoe. . Octavo. Frontisportrait and eight etchings, plus etched headbands and tail-pieces. Printed on Imperial Japan Vellum. Tear along front joint, a little fraying at foot of spine. A very good copy. Robert Hoe III (1839-1909) was an American businessman, and a producer of printing equipment. He was one of the foremost collectors of his time and served as the first president of the Grolier Club. At the time of his death, his extensive collections of rare books and manuscripts, as well as silver, miniatures, and other art objects, were valued at several million dollars. His rare book collection was sold at auction in 1911 and 1912, with almost half of it going to Henry E. Huntington, including a Gutenberg Bible.