Musset, Alfred de. Premières Poésies 1829-1835 [with] Poésies Nouvelles 1836-1852. Charpentier et Co. 13 and 11 Rue de Grenelle. Paris. 1884 and 1886.

394 , and 324 pages in French. Printed by E. Capiomont et V. Renault, rue des Portevins, 6 and by C. Marpon et E. Flammarion, 26 Rue Racine [Paris], respectively. Each with portrait frontispieces by David D'Angers and by Léopold Flameng. Each with an etching after Bida - all plates with original tissue guards. Both volumes in the series 'Petite Bibliothèque-Charpentier'. Original duck-blue endpapers. All edges yellow. Both volumes with contemporary owner's initials in ink on blank preliminary leaves, dated 1887. Provenance: M.G. Homburg. The first volume also has a quote from the author, " Quel Son égalerait la voix de celle qu'on aime?".  Both have contemporary bookseller's round grey and white printed labels for N. Goldschmidt-Tissot, Berlin (a firm of metalworking, jewelers, and luxury goods retailer, located at 58 Unter den Linden in Berlin, that was an official supplier to the royal court in Prussia). Both volumes have the original plum silk page-saving ribbons. 80 x 113 mm. Uniformly and contemporaneously bound in full bevelled vellum with Derôme style decorative floral decoration in gilt within panel mitred borders, and scrolling horizontal rolls on the spines. Complete with original vellum straps with ornamental brass clasps. Upper cover of second volume slightly rubbed. Hinges of first volume with partial splits along the outer hinges. 

Musset's journey from "first" to "new" poetry reveals a brilliant young poet evolving from a clever proponent of romantic verse to someone with a deeply personal, emotionally resonant voice, using his own suffering as powerful, enduring art, particularly in the series of poems called Les Nuits, directly inspired by his tumultuous affair with George Sand.

• Near-Miniature Format: Their small size (around 4.5" x 3.5") made them portable and desirable collector's items, fitting nicely in a pocket or small shelf space.
• Accessibility: They were an opportunity for the middle-classes to affordably own classic French novels and poetry, democratizing high culture.
• Collectible Appeal: Today, they're sought after by collectors for their vintage charm, beautiful bindings, and historical value as a marker of French literary culture.