1906 ❧ ÉRASME, DESIDERIUS. 1466-1536. LEPÈRE, AUGUSTE. 1849-1918. Éloge de la Folie. Augmenté de la Préface d'Érasme adressée à Thomas Morus son ami. Notice de Gabriel Hanotaux. Paris: Pour les Amis des Livres, 1906. Royal 8vo (260 x 176 mm). 46 wood engravings by Auguste Lepere printed in nuanced camaïeu tones framed by fine decorative rule lines and adorned with vibrant multi-colored woodcut initial capitals. Light stain to gutter of title. Full dark brown Levant morocco, the upper cover set with a polychrome cuir ciselé depicting depicting an allegorical laughing female figure of Folly, coordinating dark brown morocco doublures gilt with central panel of olive-green ribbed watered silk, olive green watered silk endleaves, stamp-signed by Noulhac. Provenance: M. Ernest Droin (1841-1907), French judge, and a founding member of both the Société des Amis des Livres and the Société des Cent Bibliophiles (this copy printed for him, with his name explicitly printed on the justification leaf); unidentified cypher book label. LIMITED EDITION number 21 of 137 copies. Produced exclusively for the exclusive circle of the Pour les Amis des Livres club, the publication pairs Desiderius Erasmus's enduring Renaissance masterpiece with 46 masterful woodcuts by Auguste Lepère, who single-handedly spearheaded the revival of the artistic color woodblock print in France. Henri Noulhac was a towering figure among Belle Époque binders, celebrated for his precision finishing and his mentorship of avant-garde design icons like Rose Adler. The brilliant cuir ciselé (carved leather) panel on the cover functions as an expressive, sculptural frontispiece in its own right, capturing the frenetic energy and timeless wit of Folly, depicted here wearing a jester's cap and a flowing scarlet dress dynamically galloping on horseback while hoisting a jester's bauble into the air against a textured backdrop. Carteret, Trésor IV, p. 151; Monod, Manuel 4268; Lotz, Lepère 122. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing