writer and Nobel laureate (1844-1924). Autogr. inscription signed in: L'Ile des Pingouins. Paris. 8vo. (4), XV, (1), 419, (1) pp. Contemporary half cloth with giltstamped spine label; original printer wrappers bound within.
$ 1,333 / 1.200 €
(33107/BN27893)
First edition of this splendid satire, in which a colony of penguins is accidentally baptized and then undergoes all the stages of the development of European history. As much an example of the productiveness of satire in the vein of Rabelais and Swift as a striking precursor to modern Science Fiction. - Half-title bears author's signed autograph inscription to the writer and politician Maurice Spronck (1861-1921): "A Maurice Spronck, souvenir affectueux. Anatole France." - Bottom and foredge untrimmed.