THE WORKS OF GUY DE MAUPASSANT. First Collected Edition. Library Set. Signed. Complete in 17 volumes by Maupassant, Guy De - 1903

London & New York: M. Walter Dunne, 1903. EDITOR'S AUTOGRAPH EDITION. FIRST COLLECTED EDITION PRINTED IN ENGLISH. Editor's Autograph Edition of the works of Guy De Maupassant. The scarcest form of this set, issued simultaneously with the Academie Edition which was limited to 750 sets, the limitation of this Editor's Autograph Edition is not known, likely under 100. Limitation page signed by the editor, with partially nude lady offering a wine glass in one hand, and holding a skull above her head in the other. Gilded and hand finished limitation page. Being His Life and Works. Embracing Romance, Travel, Comedy and Verse. Illustrated from original drawings by eminent French and American artists. For The First Time Complete. Therefore this is THE FIRST COLLECTED EDITION. Printed in English. Printed in 1903. Original cloth bindings. Well laid out. Wide margins. Printed on rag style paper. 9 inches tall. 26.5 inches of shelf space. VERY GOOD condition. Very fresh, bright, and clean. FINE internally, just some external shelf rubs. as shown. The bindings are exceptionally durable and the hinges are as new. No writing. This is an exceptionally rare set. Guy de Maupassant, is generally considered to be the greatest French writer of short stories. A protege of Flaubert, Maupassant's stories are characterized by their economy of style and efficient, effortless denouement. Many of the stories are set during the Franco-Prussian War of the 1870s and several describe the futility of war and the innocent civilians who, caught in the conflict, emerge changed. He authored some 300 short stories, six novels, three travel books, and one volume of verse. The story "Boule de Suif" ("Ball of Fat", 1880) is often accounted his masterpiece. His most unsettling horror story, "Le Horla" (1887), was about madness and suicide. Maupassant had suffered from his 20s from syphilis. The disease later caused increasing mental disorder - also seen in his nightmarish stories, which have much in common with Edgar Allan Poe's supernatural visions. Critics have charted Maupassant's developing illness through his semi-autobiographical stories of abnormal psychology, but the theme of mental disorder is present even in his first collection, La Maison Tellier (1881), published at the height of his health. On January 2, in 1892, Maupassant tried to commit suicide by cutting his throat and was committed to the celebrated private asylum of Dr. Esprit Blanche at Passy, in Paris, where he died on July 6, 1893. This set is printed in English. An important addition to any antiquarian library. This set would make an excellent gift and/or addition to any fine library. In addition to their shelf presence, antiquarian books make an excellent investment. We always pack very securely to help ensure safe handling during transit. All books are individually wrapped and are always professionally padded. We offer a full refund guarantee, per our terms described on our site, with notification of such intent requested. Please contact us with any inquiries.