From Gutenberg to Robespierre, explore the golden ages of the book: incunabula, humanist editions, classical authors, Enlightenment philosophers, revolutionary works. A selection of books printed between 1450 and 1789, in first editions and fine period bindings.
Despite Gutenberg's genius invention, manuscripts will never be erased by the printed word, and solid moveable types are evenly matched by fragile penned letters. Hasty or diligent writing, spidery scrawls or sign of the times.
They are called deluxe papers, limited editions, tirages de têtes or simply first editions. They were printed in small numbers on special paper and carefully preserved, from the very beginning, by the first readers and admirers of these literary geniuses. These copies are the origin of the work and its legacy.
They are the sign of a desire, of a trust in the recipient, they lay bare the individual behind the writer, a final trace of the writing hand on the finished work - intimately subjected to the particular gaze of a close friend, a peer or an influential critic.
To offer a unique work of art is to share the singularity of an artistic gesture. A piece that exists in only one example carries an immediate presence, a direct trace of creation. It is a rare gift, establishing a tangible link between the artist and the person who receives it.
1901
1985