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ÉMILE ZOLA — POT-BOUILLE
Signed Stikeman Fine Bindings in Full Morocco Leather
Japanese Vellum Paper • Limited Edition No. 102/1,000 • Complete Novel in Two Volumes
An illustrated English-language edition of Émile Zola’s Pot-Bouille, complete in two volumes, printed on Japanese vellum paper and handsomely bound in matching full green crushed morocco leather by Stikeman & Co., New York.
Copy No. 102 of 1,000 numbered subscriber sets. Both bindings bear the gilt stamp “STIKEMAN & CO., N.Y.”
The Bindings
Elaborate gilt floral borders and scrolling corner ornaments frame the green morocco covers. The spines feature five raised bands, gilt lettering and richly decorated compartments with repeated fleur-de-lis ornaments.
Broad gilt-tooled leather turn-ins surround vivid blue inner panels, each centered with a geometric gilt ornament. Pale decorative free endpapers complete the interiors.
The green covers, blue interiors and extensive gilt decoration give the pair a distinctive appearance. The spines have faded to contrasting brown or olive-brown tones.
The Book
ZOLA, Émile. Pot-Bouille. Translated into English by Percy Pinkerton.
Philadelphia: Printed for subscribers only by George Barrie & Son, undated. Rougon-Macquart Edition. Two volumes. Illustrated with plates, including frontispieces.
Printed on Japanese vellum paper from textual plates made for the Lutetian Society of London. The title-page wording “Now First Completely Translated into English” refers to Pinkerton’s translation; this is a later Barrie printing.
Set in a respectable Paris apartment building, Pot-Bouille exposes the ambition, adultery and domestic hypocrisy concealed behind its orderly façade. It is the tenth novel in Zola’s Rougon-Macquart cycle and introduces Octave Mouret before his appearance in Au Bonheur des Dames, widely known as The Ladies’ Paradise.
The complete two-volume text of Pot-Bouille is offered here. These volumes were issued within Barrie’s larger twelve-volume collection of six Zola novels; the other titles are not included.
Condition
An attractive matched pair with firm bindings and visible leather wear.
The covers retain strong green color and bright gilt. The spines have browned or faded to olive-brown, with rubbing and abrasion at the joints, raised bands, corners and board edges. There is chipping and small leather loss at the spine heads. Gilt lettering and decoration remain clear.
The blue inner panels and gilt turn-ins are well preserved in appearance, with minor handling wear. The leaves show age toning and occasional spotting or handling marks. The illustrated plates remain attractive.
Please review the photographs for the spine-head losses, joint wear, color variation, binder’s stamps, limitation statements and interior condition.
Details
• Author: Émile Zola
• Title: Pot-Bouille
• Translator: Percy Pinkerton
• Language: English
• Publisher: George Barrie & Son, Philadelphia
• Publication date: Undated
• Edition: Rougon-Macquart subscriber edition
• Limitation: No. 102 of 1,000 subscriber sets
• Paper: Japanese vellum
• Binding: Full green crushed morocco leather, gilt
• Binder: Stikeman & Co., New York, signed in both volumes
• Contents: Two volumes, complete for this novel
• Illustrations: Plates, including frontispieces
