Les Quatre Elémens (Four volumes, housed in a box)

Paris: Imprimerie de Maulde et Renou. First Edition. Cartonnage, Reliure Romantique, Glazed, Gilt Embossed Decoration. Box with gilt trim, gilt siding, paper pastedown. Near Fine. Beautiful Restoration France (Biedermeier era) suite of children's books on the four elements of nature: water, fire, air and earth. N.d., circa 1830. 32mo. 83 by 54 mm each. Each volume is 24 pages and includes two wood engraved hand-colored plates, including one showing a large balloon, another of a volcanic eruption, yet another of fireworks. The white bindings are superb examples of glazed cartonnage Romantique gift book bindings, with their ornate gilt ornamentation. The outer box complements the bindings perfectly, with its gilt sides, with embossed or relief decoration, the raised framed color vignette centerpiece on the lid, the red leather base, etc. Scarce, with OCLC showing six institutional copies only (Morgan, Grolier, UCLA, Indiana, UVA, Oxford), and these copies would appear to lack the box with which they were originally issued, as we have here. (USAF Academy has a copy of the "Air" volume as well.) Gumuchian 4662. Some scattered light foxing. Soiling to the lid of the box, and minor gilt loss on the side. Overall, the box itself is very well-preserved.