Unique Exemplary "les Premières Illustrées" + 15 Original Drawings + Smoked, Signed Binding

--Unique copy-- Les Premières Illustrées - Theatrical season 1881-1882. P., Ed. Monnier & Cie, publishers, 1881-1882, 13 deliveries bound in 1 strong vol. in-4° (292 x 215) full brown morocco, spine with 5 bands, double gilt fillet framing the boxes, triple gilt fillet framing the covers, large gilt composition representing a grotesque mask on a theater stage occupying the entire cover upper, double gilt fillet on the cuts, gilt head, rich gilt lace framing the liners, mauve moire liners and endpapers, general cover and illustrated delivery covers preserved, fully tabbed signatures, (Quinet). Scattered foxing and some traces of adhesive, fine copy in an impressive binding elsewhere. Top series of this collection presenting the plays in view at the end of the 19th century, i.e. the first 12 issues + the 13th which contains the preface by Henri Meilhac, the title and the half-title of the first year. The pieces presented are: Lili - Serge Panine - Le Petit Faust - Odette - Les Rantzau - Boccace - Quatre-Vingt-Treize - Françoise de Rimini - Othello - The Thousand and One Nights - The Day and the Night - Madame le Diable. Unique copy containing: - The original drawing and a double state of the unsigned cover - 14 original drawings by Paul Destez (4), Hermann Vogel (2), Ary Gambard, Blanche Pierson, Adolphe Willette, Théophile Busnel (2 drawings on a same sheet), G. Rasetti, Barbin and Armand Poirson - a double state of all the insets - a watercolor of the inset of the 3rd delivery (Ary Gambard) - The smoked prints on China of all the in-text illustrations - The bookstore poster for N°1 - The smokiness of the delivery covers designed by Paul Destez - The subscription form Provenance: Chevalier Santi Mattei with his emblazoned ex-libris. Ref. library. : Vicar VI, 809.