175 - MERIMEE, Prosper. Colomba.

MERIMEE, Prosper. Colomba. Paris, Magen and Comon, 1841. 8vo (21 x 13 cm), half havana calf, ribbed spine, gilt fillets forming squares, pasted-on title label. Period binding. 463 pp. Scuffing on the spine; top edge missing. Highly sought-after first edition (Clouzot). Drawn to Corsica from an early age—a fascination fostered by various readings suggested in particular by the historian Gian-Carlo Gregori— Mérimée took advantage of his official trip to the island in 1839, in his capacity as Inspector General of Historic Monuments, to gather on-site observations that would inform *Colomba*. The short story first appeared in the *Revue des Deux Mondes* in 1840, before being published in book form the following year. A valuable collection, also containing *La Vénus d’Ille* (a short story published in 1837), as well as the first edition of *Les Âmes du Purgatoire*. A pristine copy.