Complete set of a series of five elegant and amusing catalogues, published by historic French wine retailer, Nicolas.

Nicolas was founded in 1822 by Louis Nicolas, who revolutionized the wine trade, becoming the first man to sell wine by the bottle, not the barrel. The business exists to this day, now with 494 shops across France, as well as outlets in Belgium, Germany, Poland, and the UK.

Nicolas was known, also, for its innovative approach to advertising, as the 'Monseigneur Le Vin' series reflects. Volume One, 'Le Vin A Travers L'Histoire' ('Wine Through History'), traces an account of wine through such varied periods as the Bible, Gaul, and the Wine Wars, because, as Montorgueil notes, "to write a history of wine, is that not to write the history of the world?" (trans.). Volumes Two, Three, and Four, which include several maps, each discuss a different region of French wine-production: 'Le Vin de Bordeaux', 'Le Vin de Bourgogne', and 'Anjou-Touraine, Alsace, Champagne et Autres Grands Vins de France'. Volume Five, meanwhile, 'L'Art de Boire: Préparer, Servir, Boire' ('The Art of Drinking: Preparation, Serving, Drinking'), is a master-class in becoming a connoisseur. Instruction includes: how to pour wine, how to choose the right style of glass, how to pair wines with food (try oysters, dressed lettuce, or crayfish with a dry white wine), and how to appreciate wine with all your senses.

Accompanying the present example is assorted ephemera, including two paper cut-outs, one of Nectar, Nicolas's iconic moustachioed, bottle- shaped mascot, with his son, Glou-Glou, and one of Nectar with his wife, Félicité.

The text of the first four volumes is written by "Georges Montorgueil", one of the pseudonyms of Octave Lebesgue (1857-1933), a French journalist and writer who also wrote under the names "Jean Valjean" and "Caribert". The final volume is written by journalist, essayist, dramatist, novelist, and politician Louis Forest (1872-1933), who wrote for 'L'Illustration' and 'Le Figaro'.

Each volume is illustrated by a different artist: Marcel Jeanjean, Pierre- Marie-Joseph Lissac, Armand Vallée, Carlègle (Charles Émile Egli), and Charles Martin.