Four Babar books - all first editions. A set of four first French editions (preceding the first English editions) from the popular Babar series by the acclaimed French children's author and illustrator, Jean de Brunhoff (1899-1937). Originally a character in a bedtime story told by the author's wife Cécile to their young children, de Brunoff turned the story of the orphaned elephant Babar into a picture book before elaborating on the character in a further six works published prior to his death in 1937. Richly illustrated with large eye-catching colour plates, the series proved immensely popular and is still in print today.

Histoire de Babar...' First edition; folio (37 x 27 cm); colour illustrations throughout, including some double-page, illustrated endpapers, the odd spot but in the main very clean and bright; publisher's blue cloth-backed pictorial orange boards, mildly rubbed and bumped on corners; 'Le Voyage...' First edition; folio (37 x 27 cm); colour illustrations throughout, including some double-page, illustrated endpapers, lightly toned with the occasional minor spotting or thumb soiling, otherwise very good; publisher's red cloth-backed pictorial blue boards, minor rubbing to corners and board edges; 'Le Roi...' First edition; folio (37 x 27 cm); colour illustrations throughout, including some double-page, illustrated endpapers; publisher's black cloth-backed pictorial yellow boards, corners and board edges lightly rubbed; 'Les Vacances...' First edition; folio (37 x 27 cm); colour illustrations throughout, including some double-page, illustrated endpapers, near-fine internally; publisher's yellow cloth-backed blue boards, corners and edges slightly rubbed; overall a very good set.