[CHILDREN’S BOOKS] – [PAPERTOYS] – LE JEU DES FABLES, ou Fables De Lafontaine mises en action, avec figures coloriées et découpées, dessinées et gravées par Lambert Aîné. [Part “A-D”].

A Paris, Chez L’Auteur [..]/ Nepveu [..]/ Lefuel [..], [ca. 1818-1819]. 4 Parts. With 4 fold. engravings (dep. 60 ills.), 4 loosely inserted handcol. engraved plates & 102 (of 128) small-sized handcol. engraved cut-out figures (all loosely inserted in matching 19th-cent. marbled paper portfolios). 8vo oblong (ca. 12,5 x 16,5 cm.), early 19th-cent. (almost unif.) marbled wrappers, in the orig. (almost unif.) matching cardboard slipcases with engraved letterpiece (lettered “A-D”) mounted on upper side.

¶ Very rare complete set of 4 early 19th-cent. French papertoys (so-called “slot books”) consisting of 4 booklets (printed by J.-M. Eberhart, each with 32 Arabic numb. text-pages comprising 15 fables by the French author Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695) & 1 fold. engraving dep. 15 small-sized scenes), 4 loosely inserted handcol. engraved plates (dep. 3 landscapes & 1 bedroom), all ca. 12,5 x 16 cm.) & 102 (of 128) loosely inserted small-sized cut-out figures (dep. various animals & human figures, all Roman numb. “I-XV” & lettered “a-d”) to be placed into the incisions of the loosely inserted plates according to the illustrations of the fold. engravings. Two parts (B & C) with early 19th-cent bookseller’s ticket of “Susse Papetier [..] Paris” mounted on resp. verso front-wr. & upper part of the paper portfolio. Part A with 22 cut-out figures (numb. I, II(2x), III, IV(2x), VI(2x), VII(2x), VIII(2x), IX, X(2x), XI-XIII, XIV(2x) & XV(2x). Lacks at least 8 pieces), part B with 27 cut-out figures (numb. II(3x), III(3x), IV, V(2x), VI(2x), VII(2x), VIII, IX(3x), X(2x), XI, XII(2x), XIII(2x), XIV & XV(2x). Lacks at least 5 pieces), part C with 27 cut-out figures (numb. I, II(2x), III(3x), IV(2x), V(2x), VI(2x), VII, VIII(3x), IX(2x), X(2x), XI-XII, XIII(2x), XIV & XV(2x). Lacks at least 7 pieces) & part D with 26 cut-out figures (numb. I(2x), II(3x), III, IV(2x), V(2x), VI(2x), VII, IX(2x), X(2x), XI(3x), XII, XIII(2x), XIV & XV(2x). Lacks at least 6 pieces). ¶ With small defects (wrappers & slipcases partly discol., slipcases strengthened with tape around sides, owner’s entry (of Jan van Loon) in black ink on verso front-wrappers, 2 booklets (part A & D) sl. waterstained in blank corner, 2 fold. engravings partly clumsily handcol., inner blank margin of 1 fold. engraving strengthened with tape, a few cut-out figures sl. dam., occ. sl. foxed/ browned), but nevertheless in an acceptable condition.