The Histories of Garguntua and Pantagruel

716pp, illustrated. Quarter bound in deep red leather over cloth boards, with extensive gilded decorations, three raised bands to spine, coloured head and tail bands, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers, satin ribbon marker bound in. As new condition throughout. The exuberant illustrations in this edition are the work of the noted English artist, Frank C Pape. They originally appeared in a two-volume limited edition of The Complete Works of Doctor Francois Rabelais published in London in 1927. . The Franklin Library designed and bound books with unsurpassed skill in achieving a premium-quality product: each is ‘a wonder’, in the finest traditions of bookbinding. The Franklin Library, before its demise in 2000, produced books to various different standards in various different series: it can be hard, for instance, to distinguish between its genuine leather and faux-leather bindings, and some volumes came with silk moire endpapers rather than paper. We see many dealers’ listings giving incorrect or ambiguous information (or none), so advise Franklin Library collectors to take care. There’s a guide to Franklin Library editions and their identification on our blog.