NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS | 1972 | VICTOR HUGO

Victor Hugo’s Notre-Dame de Paris (originally published 1831) is a sweeping historical novel set in 15th-century Paris, centring around the gothic cathedral of Notre-Dame and its denizens: the deformed bell-ringer Quasimodo, the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda, the tormented archdeacon Claude Frollo, among others. The work explores themes of social injustice, beauty vs deformity, religion, architecture, and the passage of time. The 1972 Einaudi edition (I Millenni) offers the Italian translation by Clara Lusignoli, with an introduction by Marius-François Guirard, enriched with illustrations (tavole fuori testo) including plates by Charles Méryon. It is a deluxe, richly presented version, bound and with a protective slipcase, contributing to its value to collectors and readers interested in editions that are not just textual but material artefacts.