Lucien Leuwen

Stendhal’s second major novel after Le Rouge et le Noir, Lucien Leuwen was written in 1834 but left unfinished. Aware of the political implications of his text — a sharp portrait of the July Monarchy and its mechanisms — Stendhal chose not to publish it during his lifetime, fearing censorship. The novel did not appear until 1894, in an abridged version established by Jean de Mitty for Dentu. It was not until 1926 that the complete text was finally published, based on the manuscript preserved at the Grenoble library.

The 1929 Éditions du Trianon edition belongs to this context of the rediscovery of the work and constitutes the first illustrated edition based on the complete text. It is illustrated with wood engravings by Paul Jacob-Hians, a young artist trained at the École Estienne who here applies himself to a demanding work of illustration. He would later illustrate several other books with wood engravings, but this edition remains one of his earliest and most significant contributions.

A fine copy in a sober binding by Loutrel.