LYDIS, Mariette, illustrator. COLETTE (and WILLY). ~ Claudine à l’école; Claudine à Paris; Claudine en ménage; Claudine s’en va. Paris: Éditions de Cluny, [1939].
4 vols, large 8vo (230 × 170 mm), pp. 239, [3]; 186, [4]; 174, [4]; 160, [4], plus 48 plates each in two states (one monochrome, one colour). Uncut in original dark blue morocco with red borders, lettered on the spines to read ‘CLAUDINE’ across the 4 volumes. Original matching slipcase.
First edition with the Lydis illustrations, of Colette’s coming-of-age novel (first published in 1900-3 with debatable contribution from her then-husband, Willy). This is copy number 88 of 100 on pur fil Lafuma with plates in 2 states, after copies on Japon and Hollande, of a total edition of 1585 copies on different papers. There was mutual admiration (and perhaps more) between Colette and Lydis, the former having written an admiring note on the artist for the programme of the 1934 Bal des petits lits blancs, which Lydis had illustrated.