Atala

Atala

[François-August-René] Chateaubriand, [Vicomte de],

Illustrated by Marold and Rossi Gambard

Paris: E. Dentu, Éditeur

1892

This quarter bound book of maroon cloth over marbled papers is in advance disrepair, but it's cuteness remains. The loose stone pattern of the marbling has darkened to yellow with red, black, teal, and blue.
The endpapers are a plain teal on blue and the paper is made from wood pulp.
The vignettes and plate illustrations appear to be steel-plate engravings and while the plates have some color added, the vignettes do not. The vignettes are either at the beginning or end of a chapter, and in some cases, incorporated into the actual text.
___________________________________________

François-August-René, Vicomte de Chateaubriand was among the first of France's romantic authors. He wrote a defense of his Catholic faith and its artistic moral superiority that was a huge influence on future Romantics. In addition to writing, he was also a military officer during the French Revolution and a politican/diplomat under Napoleon. At the very beginning of the French Revolution he spent some time among trappers and Indian tribes of western New York.
This book, Atala, was a best-seller about a Christian girl in Louisiana who after taking a vow of chastity falls in love with a Natchez Indian. To keep her vow, she drinks poison.This work of Romanticism blended with traditional classic idyllic themes of simplicity.
Chateaubriand lived from 1768-1848.

Literature

SPECIAL PQ2205 .A8 1892

Hardcover book, 5.125 x 3.25 inches

French

This book can be seen in the photograph, Display Case 3.

This book is included in a video in our Damaged Books digital exhibit: How can I safely store a book with a loose cover on the shelf?

Book