Late 19th Century Red Leather Volume Set, Oeuvres Completes De Victor Hugo – 33 Books.

Title: Oeuvres Completes de Victor Hugo.
Author: Victor Hugo.
Publisher: J. Hetzel – Libraire-Editeur.
Origin: Paris.
Edition: Edition Ne Varietur.
Publication date: n.d. (Edition printed between the years 1880-1892).
Binder: Bound especially for Raphael Weill Co. Inc., San Francisco.
Printer: Imprimerie Motteroz et Martinet.
Language: French.

8147 Pp. sm 8vo. 33 of 36 volume set (‘ABSENT’ volumes noted below*). Three quarter red morocco hardcovers, red marble boards, marble endpapers, gilt upper leaf edges, text followed by table and or notes at rear of each volume.

Dimensions: .75-1 each (29 overall) W x 5 D x 7.5 H inches.
Approx. weight: 33 pounds.

Sections: Titles (pages).

Drame: Amy Robsart – Les Jumeaux (270 p.), Angelo – Tyran de Padoue (169 p.), Hernani (199 p.), Les Burgraves (143 p.), Lucrece Borgia (154 p.), Marion de Lorme (210 p.), Ruy Blas (191 p.), *Torquemada (ABSENT).

Histoire: Choses Vues (283 p.).

Poesie: Les Chatiments (380 p.), L’Annee Terrible (303 p.), La Fin de Satan (316 p.)**, Les Annees Funestes – 1852-1870 (201 p.)**, *Les Orientales (ABSENT). (**Oeuvres Posthumes de Victor Hugo.).

Roman: Bug-Jargal (211 p.), Han D’Islande (405 p.), L’Homme Qui Rit (V1; 199 p., V2; 259 p., V3; 243 p.), Le Dernier Jour-D’Un Condamne – Claude Gueux (187 p.), Les Miserables (V1; 219 p., V2; 195 p., V3; 371 p., V4; 333 p., V5; 243 p., V6; 230 p., V7; 213 p., V8; 179 p.), Les Travailleurs de la Mer (V1; 312 p., V2; 259 p.), Notre-Dame de Paris (V1; 275 p., V2; 312 p.), Quatrevingt-Treize (V1; 201 p., V2; 271 p.).

Theatre: *Cromwell (ABSENT), Marie Tudor – La Esmeralda (211 p.).

Provenance: In each book, stamped on front free endpaper (lower left), “Bound especially for Raphael Weill Co. Inc., San Francisco” and ‘The White House’ (TWH) stamp adhered to some rear endpapers. Frenchman Raphael Weill, one of SF’s merchant princes, built a grand store, The White House (TWH) for a booming city with an eager clientele.
TWH was the first department store in San Francisco; it opened in 1854 and closed in 1965, located at Post and Grant. In the 19th century, most bookshop sales in the US took place in departments of major department stores like TWH. Wholly plausible the book collection was acquired in the mid 19th century by a previous owner on a pleasure trip downtown SF which meant dressing up–hats, gloves and stockings required. TWH was a place to be seen, like its competitor The City of Paris, and was known for its French atmosphere. The purveyor defined good taste and satisfied desires for anything French. Certainly paints a colorful picture of the TWH shopping experience when this fine book set was acquired at TWH’s book department located on the main selling floor of the grand store.

About the author and works: “Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” ― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables.

The best-known and oft-considered greatest French writer is unarguably Victor Hugo. His romance novels and stories have withstood the test of language and time. His most famous work, ‘Les Miserables’, has been transformed into film, theatre, and opera.

This late 19th-century collection of the works of Hugo was printed in 36 volumes and features his most famous works including: ‘Hernani,’ ‘L’Homme Qui Rit’ (The Man Who Laughs), ‘Bug’Jargal,’ Les Miserables,’ ‘Les Annees Funestes,’ and many more.