Paul and Virginia

Complete and unabridged, with 21 full-page plates by Francis Swaine, Dominic Serres and Carlo Bonavia. Two children grow up together on the Île de France, in a valley with their mothers and no fathers, knowing nothing of money, rank or Europe — until Virginia is summoned to France by a rich aunt. Bernardin de Saint-Pierre was an engineer and naturalist who spent three years on the island; his 1788 romance made half of Europe weep, put the tropics into French literature, and the shipwreck at the end became one of the most illustrated scenes of the century. Its 80 original illustrations have been carefully restored and coloured for this edition.