Peter Bichsel   Fine Books

Spyri, Johanna. Heidi. Une histoire pour les enfants et pour ceux qui les aiment. – (And:) Encore Heidi. Une histoire pour les enfants et pour ceux qui les aiment. Traduit de l’allemand avec l’autorisation de l’auteur. 2 vols.

With four illustrations on plates in vol. II by Rudolf Geissler. 2 leaves, 261 pp.; 2 leaves, 214 pp. 8vo. Publisher’s red cloth with black and gilt stamped ornaments and title (vol. I) and green cloth with black stamped mountain scene and gilt stamped title (vol. II). Vol. II with gilt edges. – Basel and Geneva, H. Georg, 1882.

First and second part of Spyri’s „Heidi“ in their first authorised French edition, both volumes printed by F. A. Perthes in Gotha (Impressum). The German edition was first published in 1878 resp. 1879, translations followed step by step. In the same year as the present French translation were published translations in Danish, Norwegian and Swedish. Thus the novel suddenly became a world’s bestseller and is today the most known children’s story in the world. Rudolf Geissler (1834-1906) was a well-known illustrator of children’s books. Some copies of the first volume show „Gotha, F. A. Perthes“ on the title. There are variants regarding the binding. – Cf. Peter O. Büttner, Heidi oder die Geburt eines Bestsellers. In: Librarium II/2024, pp. 112-133 and footnote 41. – Title leaf of vol. II somewhat browned. Else a very clean and fine set. – Best.-Nr. 26917