[?Cretté (Georges) for] Marius Michel, binder.- Delapalme (Émile) Le Livre de mes Petits-Enfants, first edition, wood-engraved illustrations and decorations by H.Giacomelli, with additional state of the illustrations on chine mounted on blank leaves, superb dark blue morocco with geometrical design of interlinking quadruple fillets tooled in gilt, by [?Georges Cretté for] Marius Michel, spine titled in gilt and with compartments of quadruple gilt fillets and five raised bands, turquoise morocco doublures with inlaid morocco wreath of cream & tan flowers and green leafy tendrils within a shaped dark blue morocco frame all edged in gilt, foliate gilt roll turn-ins, signed "Marius Michel" at foot of front doublure, pale green textured silk linings, marbled endpapers, g.e., original printed wrappers bound in, small gilt-stamped blue leather bookplate of Suzanne Courtois, preserved in marbled slip-case (very slightly rubbed at edges), large 8vo (c.280 x 190mm.), Paris, Hachette, 1866.

⁂ A splendid binding by the master bookbinder's workshop. The combination of Art Nouveau floral mosaic doublures typical of Marius Michel with the geometrical Art Deco covers suggest that the binding is actually by Georges Cretté (1893-1969) who was lead finisher for Marius Michel until 1925 and who had gradually assumed control of the business due to the latter's ill-health. Cretté began with Art Nouveau designs but gradually developed a more geometric style, using characteristic multiple gold fillets, as here. Cretté usually signed his bindings "G. Cretté successeur de Marius Michel" but this possibly precedes that practice and was executed while he was still working for Michel.