Aventures de Robert-Robert

Aventures de Robert-Robert et de son fidèle compagnon Toussaint Lavenette (Adventures of Robert-Robert and of his faithful companion Toussaint Lavenette) was written by Louis Desnoyers (1802-1868) and first published, as it seems, in 1839. The first edition consisted of two volumes, containing illustrations drawn by Frédéric de Courcy and engraved in wood by Bisson. The pictures available on this site are taken from the ninth edition, published after 1860, which is in one quarto volume (6.3×9.4 inches; 16×25 cm). The spine of the half-binding is decorated with false bands and covered with dark blue sheepskin and the boards are blue and orange marbleized paper. Forewords are paginated from I to XII and the rest of the book from 1 to 527. All illustrations are full-page, except for the title vignette.

The story is about a young teenager and his mentor and sidekick Lavenette, and the many adventures they go through on their way to the Bourbon island, where Robert-Robert is to meet his uncle. The latter is about to die and wishes to leave a huge fortune to his nephew.

Louis Desnoyers was a journalist and a writer of children’s literature. He was also the founder of the Société des gens de lettres (Society of Men and Women of Letters), which was joined by writers as prominent as Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas. He wrote various other books under the pen name of Derville.

Pierre Joseph Edouard Bisson was a wood engraver, born in 1819. Associated with Prosper Cottard, he ran the Bisson et Cottard workshop from 1855 to 1860.

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