4to (335 x 250 mm). 14 hand-colored etchings by Gio Colucci, with an additional suite in black and white bound in at end; vignette on title-page, decorated initials, head- and tail-pieces all by Colucci. (A few pale spots.) IN AN ELABORATE MODERN BINDING BY ANNE GIORDAN, a wrap-around design depicting the titular "Garden of Tortures," purple, red, green, and black morocco onlays heightened in gilt and black and white paint, depicting rays of light shining through skeletal trees into a cascade of blood running over rocks, pale yellow morocco doublures, top edge marbled, others uncut; purple morocco-tipped chemise and slipcase (one corner slightly bumped); original wrappers bound in.

The lurid nature of Mirbeau's shocking fin-de-siècle novel is emphasized by Anne Giordan's vivid binding and the engravings by Colucci. Mirbeau's "Garden of Tortures" is known for its depiction of the sadistic Clara and the horrors she acts out within the walls of her perfectly manicured garden. Colucci is known for his work in a variety of media and his use of color. Anne Giordan has exhibited her bindings in France and internationally, and this example, completed in 2003, manifest a vision that is as beautiful and distorted as Mirbeau's novel.