226 - NERVAL, Gérard de and RUDAUX, Edmond. *Sylvie*. *Souvenirs de Valois*. Preface by Ludovic Halévy.

NERVAL, Gérard de and RUDAUX, Edmond. *Sylvie*. *Souvenirs de Valois*. Preface by Ludovic Halévy. A superb copy in a Champs-Stroobants binding, from the first separate and illustrated edition, enhanced with a lovely original watercolor from the early 20th century serving as a half-title page. Paris, Librairie L. Conquet, 1886. In-12 (175 x 115 mm), chocolate-colored half-maroquin with corner caps, spine with raised bands accented by a dotted line, double gilt line enhanced by a dotted line framing the panels adorned with a central gilt fleur-de-lis with mosaic petals, gilt head, untrimmed, covers and spine preserved, edged slipcase. Binding signed “Champs-Stroobants Sr.” XXIV and 134 pp., frontispiece and 41 etchings in the text. A slight foxing in the margins of the last 4 leaves. First separate edition and first illustrated edition featuring 42 delicate compositions drawn and etched by the Lorraine painter and engraver Edmond Rudaux (1840–1908). Limited edition of 1,000 copies; this one is one of 825 printed on vellum, numbered and initialed by the publisher (No. 971). [Vicaire, VI, 60]. First published in 1853 in the *Revue des Deux Mondes*, then included the following year in the collection *Les Filles du feu*, *Sylvie* achieved its status as a bibliophile’s treasure thanks to the efforts of Léon Conquet. A genre painter and virtuoso etcher, Edmond Rudaux masterfully captures the romantic chiaroscuro and the bucolic atmosphere of this short story. Nerval wrote the text toward the end of his life, during a period of intense psychological turmoil and crises that led him to make frequent stays in the Valois region beginning in 1850. Included as a half-title is a lovely original watercolor with gold highlights, delicately depicting the three female characters in the work: Adrienne as a nun with a golden halo, Sylvie in Valois costume, and the actress Aurélie on stage against a fan-shaped backdrop (unidentified signature, early 20th century, 1 page in-12). A delightful copy, beautifully bound in a fine, slightly later signed binding.