Histoire du Chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut; Suivant edition de 1753
T. M. Cleland Stamford, CT: The Overbrook Press, 1958. Limited Edition of only 200, Illustrations and decorations by T. M. Cleland were printed in each copy of the edition by the hand of the artist. Hardcover, in slipcase. Format of the volume is approximately 9 inches by 12 inches, with the slipcase a bit larger. [14], 204, [12] pages, Illustrated endpapers. Color frontispiece of the author. Slight wear noted. Antoine François Prévost d'Exiles (1 April 1697 – 25 November 1763), usually known simply as the Abbé Prévost, was a French author and novelist. A Note on the manner of its design and printing included. The pictures in this book are not reproductions. There were no colored originals from which they could be reproduced. Each of the two hundred copies of the thirty-odd pictures and decorations is an original. A pattern drawing in black and white was made by the artist and used soley for the correct registration of the various colors. The colored were made and applied by the artist. Photography played no part in this procedure, the silk screen method was used. Thomas Maitland Cleland (August 18, 1880 – November 9, 1964) was an American book designer, painter, illustrator, and type designer. From 1907 to 1908, Cleland was art director of McClure’s Magazine, completely redesigning the periodical during his tenure. In 1929, he was hired on as art director to design Fortune magazine by Henry Luce. He was a member of the Architectural League of New York, the Society of Illustrators and the Century Club, and an honorary member of the Boston Society of Arts and Crafts and the American Institute of Graphic Arts and was associated with American Type Founders. In 1940, he won the AIGA medal for his work. In 1960, in recognition of his work the New York Public Library held an exhibition for two months. The Story of the Chevalier des Grieux and Manon Lescaut (French: Histoire du Chevalier des Grieux, et de Manon Lescaut is a novel by Antoine François Prévost. Published in 1731, it is the seventh and final volume of Mémoires et aventures d'un homme de qualité (Memoirs and Adventures of a Man of Quality). The story, set in France and Louisiana in the early 18th century, follows the hero, the Chevalier des Grieux, and his lover, Manon Lescaut. Controversial in its time, the work was banned in France upon publication. Despite this, it became very popular and pirated editions were widely distributed. In a subsequent 1753 edition, the Abbé Prévost toned down some scandalous details and injected more moralizing disclaimers. Seventeen-year-old Des Grieux, studying philosophy at Amiens, comes from a noble and landed family, but forfeits his hereditary wealth and incurs the disappointment of his father by running away with Manon on her way to a convent. In Paris, the young lovers enjoy a blissful cohabitation, while Des Grieux struggles to satisfy Manon's taste for luxury. He acquires money by borrowing from his unwaveringly loyal friend Tiberge and by cheating gamblers. On several occasions, Des Grieux's wealth evaporates (by theft, in a house fire, etc.), prompting Manon to leave him for a richer man because she cannot stand the thought of living in penury. The two lovers finally end up in New Orleans, to which Manon has been deported as a prostitute, where they pretend to be married and live in idyllic peace for a while. But when Des Grieux reveals their unmarried state to the Governor, Étienne Perier, and asks to be wed to Manon, Perier's nephew, Synnelet sets his sights on winning Manon's hand. In despair, Des Grieux challenges Synnelet, to a duel and knocks him unconscious. Thinking he had killed the man and fearing retribution, the couple flee New Orleans and venture into the wilderness of Louisiana, hoping to reach an English settlement. Manon dies of exposure and exhaustion the following morning and, after burying his beloved, Des Grieux is eventually taken back to France by Tiberge. Condition: Very good--. Roderick Cave cites this as "an example of the luxurious book at its most magnificent."
Keywords: Abbe Prevost, Thomas Maitland Cleland, Illustrated Works, Silk Screen, Limited Editions, Chevalier des Grieux, Manon Lescaut, Lovers, Tiberge, Gamblers, New Orleans, Deportation, Prostitute, Etienne Perier, Synnelet, Louisiana
[Book #83946]
Price: $1,000.00