Madame Bovary: Provincial Manners
Gustave Flaubert
📚 Genre
Literary Fiction / Realism
🏢 Publisher
Likely International Collectors Library (ICL) or similar subscription-based imprint (e.g., Heron Books)
📅 Publication Year
Circa 1940s-1970s (this specific edition style)
🔢 ISBN
N/A (Pre-dates ISBN system or part of a collective series without external markings)
About This Book
A seminal work of literary realism, the novel follows Emma Bovary, who lives beyond her means and engages in adulterous affairs to escape the banality of her provincial life. The book features a green buckram or textured cloth binding with ornate gilt (gold-leaf) decorations on the spine in a faux-antique style.
Book Details
Language
English (translated from the original French)
Pages
Approximately 300-400 pages
Edition
Hardcover, likely a book club or subscription luxury reprint edition
Series
Often published as part of a 'Greatest Books of All Time' or 'World Classics' subscription set.
Target Audience
Adult / General Audience / Students of Literature
Collector Information
Condition
Very Good. The gilt on the spine remains bright and the cloth boards show minimal wear or fraying at the corners. Slight softening of the spine ends.
Estimated Value
$10-$25
Rarity
Common. These editions were mass-produced for home libraries and are frequently found in used bookstores and estate sales.
Historical Significance
Published in 1856, it is considered a masterpiece of realism. Flaubert was prosecuted for obscenity upon its release. It changed the landscape of modern prose through its 'impersonal' narration and focus on 'le mot juste' (the right word).
Collector Notes
Collectibility is low for this specific reprint as it is not a first edition or a limited fine press (like Limited Editions Club). To maintain value, keep away from direct sunlight to prevent the green cloth from fading. Verify if the internally bound ribbon marker is intact.
Similar Books
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy; Middlemarch by George Eliot; Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy; Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola.
Notable Features
Gilt-stamped decorative spine; top edge may be gilt (not visible); likely contains a standard scholarly introduction common to these editions.