FACETIE SECOND-EMPIRE - "Conte d'Emile Une Nuit chez Ernest - Lot 581

FACETIE SECOND-EMPIRE - "Conte d'Emile Une Nuit chez Ernest Villain le 23 février 1866", "Pekin, Imprimé en caractères français d'après le manuscrit authentique par GU-TIN-BER", 1866, Facétie littéraire tirée à 15 exemplaires, nominatif (nom inscribed in gold on front cover), in-fine printing receipt mentioning all 15 dedicatees, ii and 70 p (12.5 x 19 cm, foxing), illustrated title page with original frontispiece photograph of the author dressed as a Mandarin, letter-preface from "Lich-Tong-Pif, Chinese ambassador to his master Gob-Tou-Skong-Veu, Emperor of the Celestial Middle", (clarification at the end of the text: "Lich-Tong-Pif Mandarin de 1ère classe envoyé par l'Empereur du Céleste Empire pour étudier les mœurs françaises en 2866"), bound in full olive bradel, spine neutrally decorated and gilt, edges gilt (used condition), numerous small humorous illustrations in vignettes in the text - This is a tale mixed with sketches and couplets, at the end the author stages himself: the enthusiastic audience calls for the author, and the stage manager replies "La pièce que nous avons eu l'honneur de représenter devant vous est de Emile Bourdelin" (he is listed on the BNF website as an illustrator) - The work was printed in Paris by Vallée rue Breda.