WALPOLE (Horace). The Castle of Otranto, a Gothic history - Lot 223

WALPOLE (Horace). The Castle of Otranto, a Gothic history [...] translated from the second English edition, by M. E. Amsterdam and Paris, Prault le jeune, 1767. 2 parts in 1 vol. in 12 of xxiv [including false-title and title], 103 pp. ; 3-134 pp. [including title p. title]. Fawn basane, 5-ribbed spine, garnet morocco t.p. (Contemporary binding). Extremely rare first edition of the French translation by Marc-Antoine EIDOUS. This novel, considered to be the "starting point of all fantasy literature fantastic literature [...] is also the first work of fiction in which supernatural fear plays an important role" (Oberlé). The first English Gothic novel so called from the title of the second edition, and the forerunner of what would become the genre of the roman noir. Cioranescu, 27384 (with an erroneous date); Quérard, X, 478; Killen, 225 ; Oberlé, 1; Lévy, 719. False-title repeated at the head of the second part has been torn off. complete, with title pages for each part; some spotting and spotting and soiling, binding badly damaged and missing. Extremely rare edition, as is, in need of restoration.