Latest Acquisitions

First edition, one of 100 numbered copies on pur fil, the only deluxe copies.
Handsome copy despite the partially shadowed endpapers.

Autograph letter by Hans Bellmer signed "H.B", addressed to Claude Richard, dated by the author December 31, 1950. Two pages in black ink on two sheets of fine pink paper, with autograph envelope enclosed.
Discrete fold marks inherent to the sending of the letter.
Exceptional lament of a cursed artist, sacrificing his life to his art. Endangering his health, Bellmer carefully supervises the printing of the first retrospective catalogue of his works (Vingt-cinq reproductions) of which he had received the first copies "le soir de la Noël" ["on Christmas evening"]. He addresses his Bordeaux collector-patron, Claude Richard, from his modest Latin Quarter studio, which had seen the birth, a year earlier, of his masterpiece Les Jeux de la Poupée.

Bellmer takes up his pen and transcribes his malaise onto these two old rose pages, similar to the color covering some of his Doll photographs, as well as to that of the band surrounding the collection of this famous suite of photographs. The words themselves, finely chiseled with pen strokes, disarticulate in the image of his works; the letters come undone and reveal the extreme distress of the artist at the end of his strength and resources: "Excusez je vous prie cette lettre décousue mais je ne vais pas très bien" ["Please excuse this rambling letter but I am not very well"] [...] "ma vie est redevenue très très dure" ["my life has become very very hard again"] [...] "vous ai-je remercié des 16000 que vous avez eu l'amitié de m'envoyer il y a deux semaines environ ? - Cela m'a permis d'activer la fabrication du recueil (une fois de plus)" ["did I thank you for the 16,000 that you were kind enough to send me about two weeks ago? - This allowed me to accelerate the production of the collection (once again)"] This concerns a work laid out by his own hand, bringing together twenty-five of his works, accompanied by texts by Nora Mitrani, Gisèle Prassinos, Jehan Mayoux, Jean Brun, André Pieyre de Mandiargues, Jacques de Caso, and Yves Bonnefoy. Bellmer had received the first copies a few days earlier: "J'y avais mis un effort affreux ; depuis trois semaines, je traîne une grippe, qui, par le froid glacial de la rue Mouffetard et de l'atelier d'impression chez Larrive, a pris depuis 10 jours un tour dangereux. Pour l'instant, je ne tiens plus debout, mais pour ne pas me déclarer vaincu, je suis obligé de courrir sans cesse pour trouver le minimum d'argent nécessaire, pour ne pas mourir de faim" ["I had put a terrible effort into it; for three weeks, I have been dragging around the flu, which, due to the freezing cold of rue Mouffetard and the printing workshop at Larrive's, has taken a dangerous turn for the past 10 days. At the moment, I can no longer stand up, but so as not to declare myself defeated, I am obliged to run constantly to find the minimum amount of money necessary, so as not to die of hunger"].
The manuscript also contains a beautiful passage on the artist's relationship with his patron, and also mentions Cocteau as well as his partnership with the Hugo Gallery in New York, directed since 1944 by former dancer Alexandre Jolas: (1907-1987): "Quant à l'encadrement de mon tableau (c.à.d le vôtre), je m'en occuperai avec plaisir, car c'est très important pour la mise en valeur de la chose. Je connais bien un des meilleurs encadreurs (il a encadré les choses que Cocteau et Morihien m'avaient achetées il y a quelques années que la Hugo-gallery m'a pris cette année. Il ne doit peut-être trop bien marché [sic]. Dès que je trouverai deux tickets de métro je vous dirai le prix qu'il demanderait.
Ces jours-ci j'ai pu récupérer un expl. de tête de mon Album de Revel, sous emboîtage avec un dessin original. Le prix est de 6000. Si vous le voulez je peux vous l'envoyer de suite. Avez-vous vous reçu l'expl. [illisible] du Recueil à mon sujet ? Les expl. de luxe ne seront pas prêts avant une semaine. Je vous enverrai le vôtre dès que je pourrai" ["As for the framing of my painting (that is to say yours), I will take care of it with pleasure, as it is very important for showcasing the piece. I know well one of the best framers (he framed the things that Cocteau and Morihien had bought from me a few years ago that the Hugo-gallery took from me this year. It must not have worked out too well [sic]. As soon as I find two metro tickets I will tell you the price he would ask.
These days I was able to recover a deluxe copy of my Album by Revel, in a slipcase with an original drawing. The price is 6000. If you want it I can send it to you immediately. Did you receive the [illegible] copy of the Recueil about me? The deluxe copies will not be ready for another week. I will send you yours as soon as I can"]

Magnificent swan song of a sick and reclusive Bellmer in his studio, who addresses death in order to achieve the sublime.

First edition.
Contributions by Paul-Jean Toulet "Héloïse & "La main qui se pose" & "A un journaliste allemand", Philippe Chabaneix "Petits poèmes", Claude Misery "Rytrhme"...
Issue illustrated with 4 unpublished drawings by Emile Bessler.
Worming and small marginal tears to covers, handsome interior condition.

First trade edition and first complete edition, the original hors commerce edition was limited to only 12 copies, one of 550 numbered copies on Holland paper, the only deluxe copies.
Full midnight blue morocco bindings, spines with four raised bands, dates gilt at foot, gilt roulettes on headcaps, midnight blue silk endpapers, midnight blue morocco doublures, covers and spines preserved for each volume, double gilt fillets on edges, all edges gilt, slipcases backed with midnight blue morocco, cat's-eye paper boards, slipcases with minor scratches, perfect set by Huser.
Rare dated autograph inscription signed by André Gide on the first volume: "Je charge ce petit livre de mes cordiales salutations à Mr M. Révillon d'Apreval. André Gide. Juin 1946." ["I entrust this little book with my cordial greetings to Mr M. Révillon d'Apreval. André Gide. June 1946."]
Magnificent copy bound in full morocco with doublures by Huser containing a rare signed autograph inscription on this text evoking the author's discovery of his homosexuality.

Edition from the same year as the first edition.
A discharge mark from adhesive tape at the foot of the page featuring the autograph inscription.
Half brown shagreen binding with corners, faded spine with five raised bands, some scratches on the spine, date and "Prix Goncourt" mention gilt at foot, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers preserved, modest binding.
Autograph inscription signed by Robert Merle to Georges Feutrel who was awarded the Prix Goncourt in 1949.

First edition, one of 100 numbered copies on pure linen paper, the only deluxe copies.
Handsome copy despite minor rubbing at head of spine.

First British edition.
Publisher's full orange cloth binding, smooth spine, top edge red, complete with its dust jacket designed by John Woodcock which shows small marginal tears and whose spine is very slightly sunned.

British first edition.
Publisher's full blue cloth binding, smooth spine, complete with its dust jacket designed by Paul Hogarth which has small marginal tears at the head of the spine.
Light marginal shadows on the endpapers.

Autograph letter signed by François René de Chateaubriand, 2½ pages on a bifolium, 29 lines in black ink.
Folds inherent to posting.
"I called on you this morning, my dear friend, to say goodbye to you. You should have reminded me of my debt sooner when I was prosperous. I had completely forgotten it. Today I can only acknowledge it to establish its existence. In addition [...] that something might remain after me beyond the four planks of the worst clumsiness in the world. [...] I am not there this autumn, I shall return to Paris or if I shall go to Italy. who can provide a project and decide a future?"

Charming and aesthetic signed letter from the lord of Vallée aux Loups.

The first edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Half bottle-green shagreen binding with corners, faded spine with five raised bands, date and "Prix Goncourt" mention gilt at foot, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, covers and spine preserved, modest binding.
Rubbing to head of spine, boards marginally faded.
Signed and inscribed copy from Jacques Borel to Georges Feutrel on this work which was awarded the Prix Goncourt in 1965.

First edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Small light stains on covers, spine lightly sunned without consequence.
Autograph inscription signed by François Cavanna to Jacqueline Piatier.

First edition, one of 29 numbered copies on pure rag paper, the only deluxe copies.
Iconography.
Handsome copy.

Important autograph letter signed by Julien Gracq, 53 lines in black ink, addressed to his close friend and monographer Ariel Denis, establishing him as his biographer.
Julien Gracq expresses his regret that his friend Ariel Denis was not selected, despite his intervention, by the Berlin Academy to teach: "Je vous avais recommandé de mon mieux mais je doute que cela ait été en Allemagne d'une grande efficacité... Je sais d'ailleurs que, comme vous le pressentiez, les concurents étaient en nombre." ["I recommended you as best I could but I doubt that was very effective in Germany... I know moreover that, as you suspected, there were many competitors."]
To help his friend, the author of Rivage des Syrtes suggested to publisher Seghers, who wanted to publish a work about him in his famous "Poètes d'aujourd'hui" collection, the name of Ariel Denis, having had no news from the first biographer considered for this publication: "Ils me demandent de leur suggérer un nom. J'ai indiqué celui de Lautrat... Et j'ai indiqué le vôtre, ne sachant bien sûr aucunement si un travail de ce genre pourrait vous plaire... Il va de soi que si Seghers s'adressait à vous, vous devez être absolument libre d'accepter ou de refuser." ["They ask me to suggest a name. I indicated Lautrat's... And I indicated yours, not knowing of course at all whether work of this kind might please you... It goes without saying that if Seghers approached you, you must be absolutely free to accept or refuse."]
He also hopes to see his friend again soon before the summer holidays: "... si je ne vous revois pas avant juillet, je vous souhiate des vacances à la fois paisibles et laborieuses, en comptant vous revoir d'ici l'automne." ["...if I don't see you again before July, I wish you holidays that are both peaceful and productive, counting on seeing you again by autumn."]
He concludes his letter with his judgments as an informed cinephile: "J'ai surtout revu des films de Tati, et je me suis beaucoup ennuyé, dans une salle déserte, au film de Mme Sagan." ["I mainly rewatched Tati films, and I was very bored, in a deserted theater, by Mme Sagan's film."]
At Julien Gracq's instigation, Ariel Denis would indeed accept Seghers' proposal to publish a volume in his "Poètes d'aujourd'hui" collection about the author of Au château d'Argol, thereby becoming one of his best and most remarkable biographers.

First edition, one of 55 numbered copies on wove paper, the only deluxe copies.
Worming to the spine, the first gathering was poorly cut, which caused some marginal lacks, another gathering with stains in the margin.
Provenance: from the library of sculptor and visual artist Arman with his bookplate pasted on a pastedown.

Autograph letter signed by François René de Chateaubriand addressed to M. Beaudesson, notary in Paris, dated by the author June 22, 1827. Two pages in black ink on one leaf. Manuscript signature of the letter's recipient in the lower part of the second page. Discreet transverse creases.
Letter partially published in the Revue d'histoire littéraire de la France, Volume 31, 1924, p. 347.
Chateaubriand responds to a scrupulous reader who had pointed out errors in the quotations of texts that compose his Génie du Christianisme.

"Je me suis fait Monsieur, une loi de ne rien changer au texte de mes anciens ouvrages, afin que ceux qui les ont achetés autrefois ne soient pas obligés de les racheter aujourd'hui. De là il est arrivé, que j'ai laissé aux différentes personnes chargées de revoir les différents textes le soin de corriger les fautes d'impression. Et mes devoirs à remplir à la chambre des pairs m'ont encore empêché ces derniers temps, de surveiller les épreuves. Je vous remercie Monsieur, de votre intérêt : j'avertirai M. Ladvocat, et s'il le faut, des cartons seront faits et envoyés aux souscripteurs.
J'ai l'honneur d'être, Monsieur, avec toute la reconnaissance possible, et la considération la plus distinguée
Votre très humble et très obéissant serviteur
Chateaubriand" ["I have made it a rule, Sir, to change nothing in the text of my old works, so that those who bought them in the past are not obliged to buy them again today. Hence it has happened that I have left to the various persons charged with reviewing the different texts the task of correcting printing errors. And my duties to fulfill in the House of Peers have further prevented me lately from supervising the proofs. I thank you, Sir, for your interest: I will notify M. Ladvocat, and if necessary, corrections will be made and sent to subscribers.
I have the honor to be, Sir, with all possible gratitude, and the most distinguished consideration
Your very humble and very obedient servant
Chateaubriand"]

Autograph letter signed by Marguerite Yourcenar, dated 23 January 1957, two pages in black ink on a single sheet, with the original envelope included.
On two densely written pages, Yourcenar confides her editorial frustrations to her close friend, the painter Elie Grekoff, recounting the blasphemous act of her publisher, who had torn in "en deux ou plutôt en quatre" [‘two or rather four’] the dedicated copy of her poetry collection Les Charités d’Alcippe (1956) and returned it to her by post. She discusses joint projects with Grekoff and requests that he accept the profits from a work he illustrated for her.

Yourcenar writes from the United States, which she joined in 1939 with her companion Grace Frick, then a professor of British literature in New York. From 1950 onwards, they settled on Mont Déserts Island, bordering Canada, in a house named Petite-Plaisance, which she mentions in the handwritten letterhead. Amidst the wild nature and crystalline lakes, she would write there some of her most celebrated works, including The Abyss. Through the text, we catch fleeting images of the author’s reclusive existence: « Ici, travail abrutissant, favorisé par les grands froids, qui font qu'on ne sort qu'un bref moment, ou quand on y est obligé. Correction d'épreuves, correspondance en retard depuis des mois, traduction, et enfin le livre en train [...] les journaux arrivent très régulièrement, et si vite, dans le cas du Monde, que j'apprends par lui les nouvelles de New York avant d'avoir le temps d'aller au village acheter le New York Times » [“The work here is grueling, compounded by the bitter cold, so that one ventures outside only for a short while, or out of necessity. Proofreading, months of overdue letters, translation, and finally the book underway […] the newspapers come so promptly and consistently, particularly Le Monde, that I hear the New York news from it before I even manage to go to the village and buy the New York Times”.]
The most poignant passage of the letter concerns her stormy dealings with her publisher Curvers, regarding her neoclassical-spirited poetry collection Les Charités d'Alcippe. Yourcenar recounts the publisher’s unforgivable act, enraged by her reproaches over the premature release of the collection: "Toute la légalité (et le sens commun) sont de mon côté, mais cela n'a pas empêché l'irascible liégeois de me renvoyer un ex. des 'Charités d'Alcippe' déchiré en deux ou plutôt en quatre. L'époque est à la violence  [‘All legality (and common sense) was on my side, yet that irascible man from Liège still sent me back a copy of Les Charités d'Alcippe, torn in two-or rather, in four. These are times defined by violence.’] “The affair of the gentleman from Liège,” as mentioned in the letter, ultimately resulted in a full-fledged legal dispute through attorneys. The writer’s uncompromising standards and constant concern for copyright earned her several disputes, including two lawsuits—one with the director Jean Marchat, and another with her publisher Plon.

The letter’s recipient, Élie Grekoff (1914–1985), painter, illustrator, and master bookbinder, remained a close confidant of the writer for decades and collaborated with her on several editorial and theatrical projects. Among his contributions, he designed the scenery for her Sartre-inspired play, Electre ou la chute des masques, which premiered at the Théâtre des Mathurins. The letter also bears witness to two of their artistic collaborations: the edition of a Latin classic and of a renowned Hindu poem, the Gita-Govinda, both annotated by Yourcenar and illustrated by Grekoff.

In a few beautifully gracious lines, Yourcenar entreats him to accept the proceeds, probably stemming from the 1956 publication of Laevius’s Bagatelles d’Amour: "merci Elie, et je vous en prie, considérez les trente huit mille qui restent comme vôtres, puisque nous n'en avons que faire en ce moment. Et quand je dis comme vôtres, je ne parle pas seulement comme vous le faisiez, du cas de force majeure, guerre, accident ou maladie, mais aussi en vue de rendre un peu plus commode la vie journalière - provisions de charbon, si l'on peut de nouveau en faire, ou achat de sympathiques conserves et repas au restaurant qui vous éviteront l'ennui de faire la cuisine quand vous préféreriez dessiner".   [‘thank you, Élie, and I beg you to regard the remaining thirty-eight thousand as entirely yours, for we have no need of them at present. And when I say “yours,” I do not mean only, as you did, in cases of force majeure, war, accident, or illness, but also to make daily life a little more convenient - coal supplies, if they can be had again, or the purchase of pleasant preserves and meals at a restaurant, sparing you the tedium of cooking when you would rather be drawing’.]

A delightful and copious letter from the first woman to be elected to the Académie Française, confronting her publisher and confiding to a trusted friend her fight to safeguard the integrity of her work.

 

First edition, one of 2500 copies on vélin alfa.
Foreword by Henry Miller.
Precious copy signed and inscribed by Brassaï to André Malraux : "Pour André Malraux cordial hommage de Brassaï Paris, le 13 mai 1949".

| Foucauld and the temptation of the desert |
Foucauld's Sahara Epistle


Precious handwritten letter signed by Saint Charles de Foucauld, 4 pages in purple ink on a folded sheet. At the top of the first page is a handwritten version of his famous motto "Jésus Caritas", accompanied by a drawing of the Sacred Heart of Jesus surmounted by a cross, which he wore on his habit. He repeats this sketch accompanied by the word “Jesus” at the head of each subsequent page of the letter.

Published in Georges Gorrée, Les amitiés sahariennes du Père de Foucauld, 1946, vol. 2, p. 183.

This long and admirable letter, written in Algeria (probably from the Assekrem plateau in the Hoggar mountains, where his hermitage was located), dates from 1909, according to Georges Gorrée. This was the year in which Foucauld presented the statutes of his fraternity, which would be emulated by so many others around the world. In the letter, Foucauld is probably helping a French officer preparing a camel trek across the Sahara, and informs him of the number and condition of the camels he had personally ordered for him. Foucauld acts as an intermediary with two Tuareg tribal leaders: a member of the Dag Rali tribe, Abahag ag Ourar, and Aflan ag Douwa, representative of the amenokal (tribe chief) Moussa Ag Amastan to whom he was very close : “During the night I was brought back the letter sent yesterday evening, the bearer having learned on the way that Aflan is not at home and that Abahag having learned of Aflan's absence had not stopped at his tents. He had chosen to ignore them. I'm sending someone to Aflan's house to tell him to come and see me as soon as he gets back. But when will it be? I am told it's quite far away at the home of the Agouhs in Tehlé.”

Throughout the letter, we sense the life of deprivation that Foucauld shared with the Tuareg, a region regularly hit by famines and conflicts : “There are 53 camels ordered, the 1st arrivals are from Dag Rali Agouh in Tehlé, close to Tamanrasset Klan in Taourit ; they are, I fear, in poor condition, for here there is nothing to eat as in the Kouira, but there is reason to hope that you will find camels in good condition among those of the Kel Tazoulet and Aït Loaien who, due to the distance, should arrive a little later than the others”. In the letter, he also pays tribute to several members of the military convoy he met in the Sahara, including Marshal des Logis Lafont, who a few years later would treat a Tuareg and thus earn the gratitude of the holy man: “please thank Lafont for repairing my scrapers”.

The missive ends with these words: “Yours very respectfully and affectionately devoted in the heart of Jesus”.

A superb letter from a humble servant of God who was canonized in 2022, featuring on every page his immortal symbol of the love with which Christ loved humanity - embroidered on his tunic, it also preceded each of his meditations, letters, and writings.
These lines full of kindness are an exceptional testimony to his dedication and his deep knowledge of the Sahara and its inhabitants.

First edition, one of 50 numbered copies on white laid paper, the only deluxe copies.
Handsome copy.

First edition, one of 30 numbered copies on alfa paper, the only deluxe copies.
Rare and handsome copy.

First edition, one of 56 numbered copies on pure thread paper, ours one of the 6 hors commerce lettered copies, the only deluxe copies.
Two small wormholes on the first endpaper.
Rare and handsome copy of this collection of short stories comprising: La femme du pilote, Le doigt de Barraquier, Valérie s'en va, L'épingle en fer à cheval, Le nègre s'est endormi, Le deuil de Fonsine, L'homme à barbe, Le bateau d'Emile and Le Baron de l'écluse ou la croisière du Potam.
This last story was masterfully brought to the screen in 1960 by Jean Delannoy with Jean Gabin and Micheline Presle in the leading roles.

First printing of the 31 illustrations outside text (29 plates and 2 frontispieces) and numerous vignettes within the text by Gavarni, Daumier, D'Aubigny, Adam, Emy, Traviès, Boulanger, Monnier and Théno.
This is a copy of the first edition of 1843 reissued by Marescq in 1844 with the same illustrations but with different titles and additionally containing 11 plates outside text in volume 1, 2 engraved titles as well as 2 frontispieces.
Texts by Paul de Kock, Honoré de Balzac, Alexandre Dumas, Frédéric Soulié, Léon Gozlan, Edouard Ourliac, Eugène Briffault, Eugène Guinot and Henri Monnier.
Half chocolate brown morocco bindings with corners, smooth spines decorated with richly ornamented gilt cartouches, gilt dates at foot, frames of gilt fillets on marbled paper boards, combed paper endpapers and pastedowns, covers preserved, top edges gilt, elegant pastiche bindings signed Pagnant.
Handsome copy beautifully executed of this very important work, remarkable for the fine constellation of writers and artists of the Romantic period who collaborated on it. A book very difficult to find perfect with its covers (cf Carteret).

New edition, one of 156 numbered copies on pure thread paper, deluxe copy.
Handsome copy.

First edition.
Work illustrated with 27 geographical maps in color with accompanying text, geographical index on tabs.
The maps are in fine condition.
Half grey cloth binding with corners, front board printed with the title, author, and nomenclature of the maps. Some foxing, soiling and rubbing marks on the spine and boards as well as on the tabs, publisher's binding.
On Catholicism in Asia: Pondichéry, Coïmbatour, Maïssour, Burma, Siam (Thailand), Malay Peninsula (Malaysia), Cambodia, Cochinchina (Vietnam), Ton-king (Tonkin), Kouang-tong, Kouang-si, Kouy-tcheou, Yuan-nan (Yunan), Su-tchuen, Tibet, Manchuria, Korea, Japan.
Rare folio atlas.

Autograph letter signed addressed to a friend, written from the village of Passy, now Paris, on October 3, 1863.

Having received news from Count Cesare Mattei, he begs his correspondent to come see him as soon as possible regarding a mysterious matter that brings them together. Indeed, during his stay in France, Rossini, who was both patient and friend of Mattei, attempted to patent his potion against rheumatism. For the "alchemist count" was the inventor of a miracle remedy, "electro-homeopathy". This complex technique based on granules and "electric fluids" was the most widely used alternative medicine in the world from 1870 to 1930, and was marketed by Mattei laboratories until 1968. The remedy was even mentioned by Dostoevsky in The Brothers Karamazov, in which the Devil himself claims to be cured by the potion: "Que faire ? J'ai recouru aux remèdes de bonnes femmes ; un médecin allemand me conseilla de me frotter après le bain avec du miel et du sel : j'allai aux bains pour le plaisir et me barbouillai en pure perte. En désespoir de cause, j'ai écrit au comte Mattei, à Milan ; il m'a envoyé un livre et des globules. Que Dieu lui pardonne ! Imagine-toi que l'extrait de malt de Hoff m'a guéri. Je l'avais acheté par hasard, j'en ai pris un flacon et demi, et tout à disparu radicalement. J'étais résolu à publier une attestation, la reconnaissance parlait en moi, mais ce fut une autre histoire : aucun journal ne voulut l'insérer ! "C'est trop réactionnaire, me dit-on, personne n'y croira, le diable n'existe point. Publiez cela anonymement."" ["What to do? I resorted to old wives' remedies; a German doctor advised me to rub myself after bathing with honey and salt: I went to the baths for pleasure and smeared myself to no avail. In desperation, I wrote to Count Mattei in Milan; he sent me a book and globules. God forgive him! Imagine that Hoff's malt extract cured me. I had bought it by chance, took a bottle and a half, and everything disappeared completely. I was resolved to publish a testimonial, gratitude spoke within me, but that was another story: no newspaper would insert it! 'It's too reactionary,' they told me, 'no one will believe it, the devil doesn't exist. Publish it anonymously.'"]
It should also be noted that Rossini gave his piano to Count Mattei (it is now preserved in his castle at Rocchetta).

Fine and rare autograph letter, very visual, mounted on cream-colored mat.

The first edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Handsome copy.
Autograph inscription signed by Erik Orsenna to François Allais: "Bons retours aux sources ! E. Orsenna"

The first edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Handsome copy
Introduction by François Cheng, poems by Li Po, Tu Fu and Wang Wei, all three great poets of the Tang period.
Dated autograph inscription signed by François Cheng to Gilbert Lascault, pataphysician, art critic and specialist notably of the work of Jean Dubuffet, Pierre Alechinsky, Christian Boltanski.

The first edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Handsome copy.
Dated autograph inscription signed by David Foenkinos to a lady named Jacqueline wishing her a happy birthday accompanied by a drawing representing a birthday cake topped with candles.

The first edition, of which there were no deluxe copies, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
Light foxing to rear endpaper.
Preface by Louis Aragon.
Autograph inscription signed by Roger Garaudy to journalist Gilbert Gilleminault.

The first edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Handsome copy.
Preface by Léon Poliakov.
Fine autograph inscription signed by Pascal Ory to Gilbert Lascault, pataphysician, art critic and specialist notably of the work of Jean Dubuffet, Pierre Alechinsky, Christian Boltanski: "... grand explorateur des imaginaires, ce petit guide noir des Terrae Incognitae de l'enfance - ou Art et Manière de nazifier par la bande, Fraternellement. Pascal Ory." ["...great explorer of imaginaries, this little black guide to the Terrae Incognitae of childhood - or Art and Manner of nazifying through comics, Fraternally. Pascal Ory."]

First edition on ordinary paper and without statement of edition.
Bradel binding in orange half cloth, smooth spine very slightly darkened decorated with a central gilt floral motif, double gilt fillet at foot, navy blue shagreen title label, some rubbing to headcaps, marbled paper boards, original wrappers preserved very slightly trimmed, corners slightly bumped, contemporary binding.
Some light foxing, particularly on the cover boards.
We include a correspondence of 5 letters and telegrams, spanning the year 1955, between two admirers of Georges Darien's work who wish to preserve his memory and have his works republished: Georges Quesnel whose father served as model to the anarchist author for the character of Queslier in his Biribi and Georges Coulant.
Provenance: from the library of Maurice Donnay with his monogrammed bookplate pasted on a pastedown.
A rare copy without mention of Georges Darien's masterpiece masterfully brought to screen by Louis Malle in 1967 with, in the principal roles, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Geneviève Bugold, Charles Denner and Julien Guiomar.

Autograph letter signed and dated by Paul Valéry, 21 lines in black ink, addressed to Adrien Raisin Dadre, vice-president of the Seine tribunal, concerning publishing rights and print run control.
Fold marks inherent to the envelope, a tear in the left margin of the letter at the fold level, paper clip marks in the lower margin of the letter, envelope included.
Paul Valéry thanks his correspondent for his precious help: "... c'est là une question vitale pour les écrivains...dans cette question, comme dans quelques autres, la loi ni la jurisprudence n'étaient équitables ni même sensées..." ["...this is a vital question for writers...in this question, as in some others, neither the law nor jurisprudence were equitable or even sensible..."]
He is also concerned about print run problems with publishers that border on illegality: "La question du contrôle des tirages demeure toujours épineuse. J'avais proposé, il y a 10 ans, un timbrage d'état. Tout exemplaire non timbré serait réputé contrefait. Notez que les fraudes sont parfois le fait de l'imprimeur. Ce que j'ai vu arriver pour des ouvrages de luxe." ["The question of print run control remains always thorny. I had proposed, 10 years ago, a state stamping system. Any unstamped copy would be deemed counterfeit. Note that fraud is sometimes the printer's doing. Which I have seen happen with luxury books."]

Autograph letter signed by Jacques Perret, 20 lines in black ink, addressed to a colleague, probably Roger Nimier, apologizing for being unable to attend a meeting organized by the Arts review.
Fold marks inherent to postal handling.
Jacques Perret had to cancel: "Votre invitation m'avait pourtant touché à temps et à coeur. Je compte sur vous pour assurer à Parinaud que je ne le boude pas" ["Your invitation had indeed reached me both timely and heartfelt. I'm counting on you to assure Parinaud that I'm not sulking"] and shows pessimism for a celebration he was planning to organize: "Les nouvelles concernant les préparatifs de la fête romaine sont mauvaises. Outre ses contrariétés chroniques le matelot a eu de graves ennuis avec son menu. Les murènes qu'il gavait toutes de casques bleus sont toutes crevées..." ["The news concerning the preparations for the Roman feast is bad. Besides his chronic troubles, the sailor has had serious problems with his menu. The moray eels he was force-feeding all with blue helmets have all died..."]
Jacques Perret, royalist writer, fierce supporter of French Algeria and virulently anti-Gaullist, was stripped of his civic rights then in 1963, removed from military medal control despite protests from some of his fellow writers, suspects that his political positions do not favor honorary decorations: "Je trouve qu'on nous a fait signer un manifeste manifestement destiner à torpiller mon ruban." ["I find that they made us sign a manifesto manifestly intended to torpedo my ribbon."]

The first edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Handsome copy.
Full-page autograph inscription dated and signed by Marie Desplechin to Franklin Rist, quoting Rainer Maria Rilke: "Tous les dragons de notre vie sont peut-être des princesses qui attendent de nous voir beaux et courageux. Toutes les choses terrifiantes ne sont peut-être que des choses sans secours qui attendent que nous les secourions..." ["All the dragons of our life are perhaps princesses who are waiting to see us beautiful and brave. All terrible things are perhaps only helpless things waiting for us to help them..."]

The first edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Handsome copy retaining its publisher's wraparound band which has some minor marginal tears of no consequence.
Full-page signed autograph inscription from Daniel Picouly to a couple: "Pour Françoise et Yves, pour une communauté de senteur de soleil et de ce sable qui rend les espaces incertains et la mémoire fausse..." ["For Françoise and Yves, for a shared sense of sunshine and that sand which makes spaces uncertain and memory false..."]

First edition for each of the volumes with print runs varying from 297 to 1,250 numbered copies on pur fil paper, the only deluxe copies along with the reimposed ones.
Some spines lightly sunned.
A rare and handsome set.

First edition, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
Two restorations to the joints, one stain to right margin of first board, small lack to lower right margin of first endpaper, paper yellowed as is often the case.
Signed and inscribed by Françoise Sagan to Max-Pol Fouchet.

First edition printed on ordinary paper.
Handsome copy.
Full burgundy bakelite binding, spine enhanced with a silver-plated metal plate bearing the engraved title of the work, joints mounted on piano-type hinges, beveled boards at edges, endpapers and pastedowns of gold-enhanced watered silk, covers preserved, top edge gilt, exceptional Art Deco binding signed Jotau, with the mention inside the second board: "breveté S.G.D.G.".
Stunning bakelite binding (thermosetting resin) characteristic of the Art Deco years and already rare in the 1930s given the costly nature of its manufacture.

Autograph signed letter addressed to a fellow journalist, 45 lines written in purple ink.
Central fold inherent to the mailing.
Léon Blum warns his fellow journalist about his article which differs from the editorial line of his own (probably La Revue Blanche to which Alexandre Varenne contributes, who is cited at the beginning of the letter): "... I confess to you in all frankness - that the very substance of the article was troublesome for our readership. First, in your enumeration, a term was missing: the priests. Don't forget that we are sectarians. Furthermore, a sentence about financiers could seem, in our publication, rather singular..." and which could also offend the political sensibilities of his readership: "Finally, above all, don't forget that our readers might have found it strange to be told: 'Don't hate... There are trees, paintings, verses, music...' You know, they don't have the time..."
After careful reflection, Léon Blum advises and invites his correspondent to write another article better suited to satisfy the journal's management and readers: "... I am convinced that it is better, quite simply, to send us another one, which would then appear Saturday morning.", his frank recommendations being dictated only by the friendship he shows his friend.

Autograph signed note by Pierre Loti signed and addressed to Julia Daudet, wife of Alphonse (12 lines in black ink on a pneumatic card),
Inherent fold mark, a date has been inscribed in pencil, probably that of the note's receipt.
Pierre Loti wishes to meet Julia Daudet and asks about her availability: "Are you still in Paris?", "You would be infinitely kind to indicate one or two hours for an appointment, given the complications of my life."

Autograph letter signed by Jean Paulhan, 16 lines written in black ink on NRF letterhead, addressed to Felia Leal the publisher of "Paroles transparentes", a work by Jean Paulhan decorated with 14 original lithographs by Georges Braque.
Jean Paulhan hears nothing but praise for his work which has just appeared and of which Felia Leal is the publisher: "Il me semble qu'il n'est pas un ami des livres qui n'admire sans réserve vos 'Paroles transparentes'." ["It seems to me that there is not a friend of books who does not admire your 'Paroles transparentes' without reservation."]
The author indicates that he is prepared for a signing session and asks Felia Leal for the suites of Georges Braque's lithographs to enrich his own copy: "vous m'aviez promis une série de suites, dont je suis bien impatient..." ["you had promised me a series of suites, which I am quite impatient for..."]

Autograph letter signed by Joséphin Peladan addressed to a fellow writer (15 lines in black ink).
Fold marks inherent to posting.
The Sâr Péladan is unwell and has shown himself to be rather uncommunicative of late: "... je suis malade, je vous dis cela d'abord pour excuser mon laconisme... Je tiens comme je peux." ["I am ill, I tell you this first to excuse my laconicism... I hold on as I can."]

Autograph letter dated and signed by François Coppée (9 lines in black ink) to the writer Henri Lavedan.
Fold marks inherent to being placed in envelope, envelope included.
François Coppée congratulates Henri Lavedan on his latest work "Petites Fêtes": "... C'est plein d'invention... avec des coins mélancoliques d'un charme profond. Encore une fois bravo ! ""

First edition, one of 60 numbered copies on pure laid paper, deluxe issue.
Handsome copy.

First edition, one of 56 numbered copies on pure Lafuma-Navarre laid paper, the only deluxe copies.
Handsome copy.

First edition, one of 105 numbered copies on pur fil, the only deluxe copies.
Spine lightly sunned.
Autograph tribute signed by Roger Grenier on the half-title page.

12 original paintings on silk in a scroll, itself covered with silk. The Emakimono is a painted scroll with horizontal narrative.
Scroll composed of a wooden rod around which the paintings are rolled. The external margins are made of printed green silk while the background on which the paintings are mounted is made of another lighter green silk fabric; the whole is mounted on paper. Occasional worming or light small stains on the silk. Each painting: 18x23.5cm. Very fine condition.
The 12 paintings tell the story of a goddess who came from heaven wearing a feathered robe and who visits the world of humans. This famous legend is a myth in several Southeast Asian countries, notably China and Japan. She becomes trapped in the human realm when her robe is hidden and eventually falls in love with a mortal man. In the paintings it is a poor fisherman. The presence of this fisherman evokes one of the oldest and most classic Japanese tales: the fisherman and the turtle. One notes the presence of Mount Fuji which opens and closes the tale.
It is extremely rare for shunga to tell a story; they are always isolated scenes that may have a common background, but never a narrative through images. In 12 panels, the paintings tell of the meeting and departure of the goddess to her world when she finds her feathered robe again. Beyond this particular phenomenon, the paintings belong to the end of shunga creations, and it is the only period of this art that saw the birth of a new manner, not only in representation but also in the distribution of roles in sexuality. The paintings no longer merely reproduce an already established style but create a new one for the needs of the story. One will notice in each sexual scene the presence of handkerchiefs, intended for intimate cleansing, before or after the act.

First edition, one of 35 numbered copies on pur fil paper, the only deluxe copies.
Two light sunning to head and foot of spine.
Handsome copy.

Pléiade library edition printed on Bible paper.
Publisher's binding in full green grained sheepskin, blue top edge, smooth spine decorated with gilt fillets.
Handsome copy complete with its glassine wrapper, slipcase and dust jacket.
Stains on the upper edge of the slipcase.

Fine autograph letter dated and signed by Henri Béraud addressed to his mother-in-law while he was incarcerated at Poissy prison (45 lines in blue ink on a recto-verso page) suffering psychologically from his situation as a prisoner.
The letter is on the headed paper of the infirmary of the Poissy central prison, with fold marks inherent to being placed in an envelope.
The prisoner Henri Béraud recalls the intense joy of having had the consoling visit of his mother-in-law in a somewhat more private manner than usual: "... l'heureux hasard qui nous donna ce parloir tout intime. Souhaitons que ce ne soit là qu'un coup d'essai, et que tout concourra désormais à en faire une réconfortante habitude..." ["the fortunate chance that gave us this intimate visiting room. Let us hope that this was only a trial run, and that everything will henceforth conspire to make it a comforting habit"]
He asks his wife Germaine to send him some objects that would help relieve him somewhat of his condition as an inmate: " Il me faudrait un flacon d'encre bleue-noire waterman pour remplir le bel encrier dû à la gentillesse de mon épouse ! Une ou deux têtes d'ail, un ou deux crayons très tendres..." ["I would need a bottle of Waterman blue-black ink to fill the beautiful inkwell due to my wife's kindness! One or two heads of garlic, one or two very soft pencils..."]
Finally, Henri Béraud, conscious of all the psychological and material support shown to him, expresses his gratitude: "... Chère maman Mickey, je vous embrasse avec toute ma tendresse en vous disant à bientôt ..." ["Dear mama Mickey, I embrace you with all my tenderness while saying see you soon..."]
A bon vivant native of Lyon, Henri Béraud was an international journalist and reporter (Le canard enchaîné, Le Crapouillot, Petit Parisien, France-Soir and Gringoire) and a prolific writer (Prix Goncourt 1922 for Le martyre de l'obèse and Le vitriol de lune published a year earlier) whose political evolution, moving from the extreme left to the extreme right pro-collaborationist position, is characteristic of the inexorable rise of totalitarianisms between the wars and the corruption of many French intellectuals. Friend of Roland Dorgelès, Albert Londres and especially Joseph Kessel whom he met in 1922 in Ireland then recently and partially liberated from the British yoke, Henri Béraud defended very left-wing opinions. But after a trip to the U.S.S.R., he began to revise his positions while drifting toward anti-parliamentarianism, Anglophobia (Faut-il réduire l'Angleterre en esclavage ? published in 1935 and dedicated to Joseph Kessel), antisemitism "without realizing it" according to his friend the journalist Jean-Galtier Boissière. It was the Stavisky affair and its corollary the riots of the fascist and anti-parliamentarian leagues of February 6, 1934 that triggered Henri Béraud's manifest passage to the extreme right, going so far as to break his friendship with his great friend Joseph Kessel. In 1936, his violent articles in Gringoire would lead to the suicide of the Popular Front Interior Minister Roger Salengro accused of desertion during World War I. Arrested in September 1944 and sentenced to death on December 29, 1944 for intelligence with the enemy, he was pardoned by General De Gaulle.

Autograph letter signed by Marie Laurencin addressed to Roger Nimier, 15 lines written in black ink, envelope included.
Folds inherent to mailing.
Marie Laurencin responds favorably to a request from Roger Nimier who had proposed that she illustrate one of his texts to appear in the magazine Le Nouveau fémina: "Cher Roger - Je veux bien vous illustrer une nouvelle si j'en suis capable." ["Dear Roger - I would be happy to illustrate a short story for you if I am capable of it."] and refuses to be photographed at her age: "... je ne veux pas être photographiée à 71 ans ou alors morte..." ["... I don't want to be photographed at 71 years old, unless I'm dead..."]

12 paintings on silk on a transparent silk band of 840cm, mounted on paper and bordered in gold. Each painting 70x14cm. It seems plausible to attribute the work to Miyagawa Shunteï.
Wooden scroll on which is wound a long ribbon of 869 cm of paper. The paintings are held essentially by the margins and constitute a long silk band of 840cm. The scroll is nestled in a large green silk fabric. Some worming and stains but superb overall condition.
Late production of shunga and ultimate flowering of this creative genre, these paintings reveal a new pictorial manner never dared before. Of greater purity and greater preciosity, these paintings also reflect in these years another way of apprehending sexuality, in which woman is more equal, lover. The narrow height and very extended width of the paintings allows extremely tight shots of the couples, thus conferring greater immersion for the voyeur and more subtle representation of intimacy. The palette of colors used is very rich, ranging from pink to black, passing through different shades of green.
The scroll participates in the mystery of the progressive unveiling of the paintings. Early 20th-century Shunga are rather rare because the censorship exercised by the authorities was very repressive at this time, shunga being considered a stain on Japanese civilization.

Autograph letter signed by Henri de Montherlant, 14 lines written in blue ink.
Folds inherent to postal use.
"Mon cher Bailly, je suis confus et agacé des traverses que vous avez essuyées. Pourquoi n'avez-vous pas téléphoné à Hébertot personnellement puisque votre nom était sur la liste dactylographiée que je lui ai remise et qu'il a sûrement encore ? Enfin, cela est fait. Mais ne m'en veuillez pas, je vous répète que je ne vous ai pas oublié. Cordialement. Montherlant." ["My dear Bailly, I am embarrassed and annoyed by the troubles you have encountered. Why didn't you telephone Hébertot personally since your name was on the typed list I gave him and which he surely still has? Well, it is done. But don't hold it against me, I repeat that I have not forgotten you. Cordially. Montherlant."]

Pléiade library edition printed on Bible paper.
Publisher's binding in full brown grained sheep, smooth spine decorated with gilt fillets.
Iconography.
Fine copy complete with its glassine wrapper and slipcase.

First edition of the French translation established by Charles Baudelaire, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Modern brown half-shagreen binding established identically to a contemporary binding, same for the papers on the boards. Paper of immaculate whiteness. The last leaf of text has been backed in the lower margin (we can also distinguish a perforation removing 2 letters of the text), the last leaf of the table has been entirely backed and an internal margin has been added to bind it to the whole.
Handsome copy, well established.

Autograph letter signed by Henri Bosco addressed to his friend and summer neighbor Georges Raillard (40 lines in blue ink on a recto-verso sheet) from his home in Nice.
Fold mark inherent to envelope insertion, envelope included.
The author of Mas Théotime is leaving for two summer months at his property in Lourmarin and is concerned about not having been entirely reimbursed for his expenses generated by the lectures he gave in Cadiz, Georges Raillard being mandated to inquire about this pecuniary problem.
Henri Bosco reproaches himself for having accepted too many requests: "... j'ai accepté trop d'obligations, et comme le dit le mot, cela me lie et m'agace" ["... I have accepted too many obligations, and as the word says, this binds me and annoys me"] and this is why he now imposes a complete refusal: "... je refuse donc colloques, préfaces, postfaces, articulets - à quoi je suis inégalissime. J'attends quelques assauts à Lourmarin..." ["... I therefore refuse symposiums, prefaces, postfaces, brief articles - at which I am most unequal. I expect some assaults at Lourmarin..."]
When he stays at Lourmarin, he will watch over the health and physical integrity of the beloved donkeys of his Luberon: "Autre affaire, on reprend T.V. Âne. Réapparition du jeune Goldenberg, qui avait malmené ce petit quadrupède. Il jure de réparer tout cela, cet été. J'ai été sévère. J'attends. Je me méfie." ["Another matter, we resume T.V. Donkey. Reappearance of young Goldenberg, who had mistreated this little quadruped. He swears to repair all this, this summer. I have been severe. I wait. I am wary."]
Henri Bosco finally evokes the ancillary births surrounding him: "Nous laissons à Maison Rose, une servante, qui vient d'accoucher - et allons trouver, à Lourmarin, une autre servante, Geneviève, qui se prépare à en faire autant. La France se repeuple. Il n'y a rien au monde que je craigne tant." ["We leave at Maison Rose, a servant, who has just given birth - and are going to find, at Lourmarin, another servant, Geneviève, who is preparing to do likewise. France is repopulating itself. There is nothing in the world I fear so much."]

Autograph letter signed by Henri Bosco addressed to his friend and summer neighbor Georges Raillard (31 lines in green ink on a sheet recto-verso) from Lourmarin.
Fold mark inherent to mailing, envelope included.
The author of L'Âne culotte thanks Georges Raillard for his latest letter: "It arrived safely. But the article from that vile Canard, no. Didn't see it. Neither 6, nor 3 columns. Nothing. No doubt some hidden jealous people (or the illustrious Giono, my neighbor) intercepted it and threw it in the fire. Sad."
Henri Bosco recounts his automobile wanderings through the south of France: "We reached Millau - and the Rouergats - They have cordiality, gloves ... I gave up pursuing into Guéret, through 450km of hairpin turns. Retreated to Lourmarin, amid the clouds, the rains, torrentially."
He will also have to travel across France for the signing of his latest work and allows himself this warning for his friend: "Never go to Béziers! One smells and thinks wine there. and what wine! 6 degrees at most. Except for the very rare ones, the natives there are xenophobic and brutal. Would you believe they chased poor Giulietta Greco herself from the stage manibus pedibusque militarisbusque, after the 1st verse of the famous: Gloomy Sunday! It's true that..."

Autograph postcard signed by Julien Gracq comprising 21 lines addressed to his friend and monographer Ariel Denis, written in black felt-tip pen from his Vendée home in Saint Florent le Vieil, on the verso of a photographic reproduction showing the Benedictine abbey of Mont-Glonne in 1830.
Envelope included.
Julien Gracq knows his friend Ariel Denis is a skiing enthusiast: "I'm not quite sure where this card will reach you: no doubt you are grappling with cross-country skiing problems in this season prone to avalanches: I do hope nonetheless that you are being careful."
He promises him his next work: "... In any case I will send you Les Carnets du grand chemin in about a month" and encourages his friend: "I hope you are working vigorously to clear the ground on that new novelistic life you told me about. I am quite curious about it."
Finally, the Vendée hermit extends his wishes for the coming year.

First edition, one of 25 numbered copies on Holland paper, deluxe copy.
Two slight areas of sunning at head and foot of spine, enclosed press clippings having caused shadowing on the first endpaper.

First edition, one of 130 numbered copies on laid paper, ours one of the 75 copies reserved for the Club de l'édition originale, the only deluxe copies.
Handsome copy despite two small areas of sunning at head and foot of spine.

First edition printed on ordinary paper.
Half bottle-green shagreen binding, browned spine with five raised bands outlined with black fillets, marbled paper boards, endpapers and pastedowns, modest contemporary binding.
Some light foxing to the endpapers.
Provenance: from the library of Marcel Augagneur with his curious bookplate pasted on a pastedown.
Signed and inscribed copy from Marcel Aymé to journalist Marcel Augagneur ("Gringoire" and "L'écho de Paris") who used the pseudonym Marc de Saligny for his writing.

Pléiade library edition printed on Bible paper.
Publisher's binding in full green grained sheep, blue top edge, smooth spine decorated with gilt fillets.
Fine copy complete with its glassine wrapper and soft slipcase.

Autograph letter dated and signed by Francis Carco, 20 lines in blue ink, addressed to a bookseller.
Fold mark inherent to mailing.
As a knowledgeable bibliophile, Francis Carco wishes to have three works set aside for him: "... je vous remercie de vouloir bien conserver à mon intention les Romain Rolland des Cahiers (de la quinzaine, probablement les neuf volumes de Jean-Christophe)... un exemplaire de la première édition de Keonigsmark... Je vous serais, en outre, très obligé, cher monsieur, de vouloir bien me réserver un exemplaire en grand papier des Contrerimes de Toulet... " ["... I thank you for kindly keeping for me the Romain Rolland from the Cahiers (de la quinzaine, probably the nine volumes of Jean-Christophe)... a copy of the first edition of Keonigsmark... I would furthermore be very obliged, dear sir, if you would kindly reserve for me a deluxe copy of Toulet's Contrerimes..."]

Autograph signed carte de visite from Alphonse Daudet, 13 lines written in blue ink, addressed to journalist and librettist Philippe Gille sending his thanks and congratulations for a recent performance.
Envelope included.

Autograph letter signed by Prosper Mérimée addressed to a friend named Pierre (26 lines in black ink) from Cannes during one of his numerous cures as he suffered from asthma.
Prosper Mérimée, ill, is bedridden: "... mes amis m'apportent quelques fois de jolies fleurs. Je serais bien heureux si je pouvais vous en faire part" ["... my friends sometimes bring me lovely flowers. I would be very happy if I could share them with you"] and feels exasperated by the political situation in France: "Aux maux physiques se joint chez moi l'agacement nerveux que me donnent nos affaires...", "L'alliance des légitimistes avec les républicains est de que j'ai vu de plus triste et de plus honteux dans l'histoire de nos révolutions où il y a tant de pages tristes et honteuses..." ["To physical ailments is added in my case the nervous irritation that our affairs give me...", "The alliance of legitimists with republicans is the saddest and most shameful thing I have seen in the history of our revolutions where there are so many sad and shameful pages..."]

First edition in French, one of 106 numbered copies on pure laid paper, the only deluxe copies.
Spine and covers slightly and marginally sunned as often, otherwise a handsome copy.

First edition, one of 25 numbered copies on laid paper, the only deluxe copies.
Spine and covers slightly and marginally sunned, otherwise a handsome copy.

Autograph letter signed by Henri Bosco addressed to his friend and summer neighbor Georges Raillard (27 lines in blue ink on a recto-verso leaf) from Lourmarin where the writer takes care of the library of the château de Lourmarin.
Fold marks inherent to envelope insertion, envelope included.
The author of Mas Théotime asks advice from his friend Georges Raillard who frequents contemporary authors, notably those of the Nouveau roman like Nathalie Sarraute and Philippe Sollers: "J'ai obtenu un peu d'argent pour les bibliothèques du château. Pouvez-vous m'envoyer d'urgence à Nice une liste d'auteurs modernes - et même contemporains - que vous aimeriez trouver ici. Je verrai ensuite ce que j'en pourrai retenir sur mes fidèles crédits." ["I have obtained some money for the castle libraries. Can you urgently send me to Nice a list of modern - and even contemporary - authors that you would like to find here. I will then see what I can retain from my faithful credits."]
Henri Bosco is surprised by his friend's silence, his wife Alice having mentioned her husband's project to write a biography of the writer: "Alice m'avait dit que vous projetiez d'écrire une étude sur Henri Bosco. Pourquoi ne m'en avez-vous pas parlé ? Cela m'intéresse." ["Alice had told me that you were planning to write a study on Henri Bosco. Why didn't you tell me about it? It interests me."]
After having mentioned some administrative nominations concerning common acquaintances, Henri Bosco inquires about his godson Henri Raillard (to whom he dedicated his work Barboche): "Comment va le filleul ? J'espère qu'il devient de plus en plus terrible" ["How is the godson? I hope he is becoming more and more terrible"]
At the very end of the letter, Henri Bosco's wife having added a few words of thanks about a box of calissons sent by their friends the Raillards and inviting them to Lourmarin and to Nice.

First edition. Carpenter, who compiled a bibliography of Necker's principal works (Economic Bestsellers before 1850), specifies that there were 7 issues of the first edition. The first contain errata and the following ones have the errors corrected. This edition contains errata in each volume, a folding table at the end of volume I with populations and contributions, a 3-page supplement at the end of volume II citing the 1784 edict on finances. This issue with different collation and smaller format is very rarely encountered.
Contemporary full blonde marbled sheep binding. Raised band spine decorated. Title and volume labels in beige calf. Small fragment of leather missing from the upper joint at the head of volume I. On the upper board of volume I, nibbling marks. A black stain on the volume label of volume I. A fragment of leather missing at the tail of volume III. Rubbing, particularly to corners. Paper generally relatively fresh, with beige matter on page 37 in volume I, which nevertheless leaves the characters visible. In the margin of each title page, manuscript name in ink, Victoire Corneillan. Handsome copy.
A major and unparalleled work of political economy, undoubtedly the only one presenting a state of the kingdom's finances before the Revolution. Originally a banker but appointed minister of finances during three periods (1777-1781, 1788-1789, 1789-1790), Necker remained famous for his opposition to physiocratic theses and his adherence to neo-mercantilism. He changed economic methods to restore France's finances, not by raising taxes but by increasing interest rates and taxes on imported goods.

Edition in the complete translation by Dr. J. C. Mardrus and illustrated with facsimiles of Persian and Indian miniatures that adorn the original manuscripts. Pages with oriental frames in various colors, green, red, yellow, blue... Chromotypes engraved by Mulot, Kriéger et Cie; Text and Frames printed by Motteroz et Martinet; Color plates printed by G. de Malherbe.
Contemporary half navy blue shagreen bindings with corners signed Flammarion Vaillant at the top of the first endpaper. Smooth spines now uniformly green, decorated with oriental tools in mirror effect and inlaid with ochre shagreen. Ruled fillets on boards. Top edges gilt. Some rubbing. Several corners slightly bumped. Interior perfectly fresh. Handsome copy.

First edition, one of 12 numbered copies on laid paper, deluxe copies.
Handsome copy.

First edition on ordinary paper.
Handsome copy.
Signed and inscribed by Jean de La Varende to Martin Chaulot.

First edition of the author's third work, of which no deluxe copies were printed.
A bibliophile's label pasted to the upper right margin of the front endpaper.
Autograph inscription signed by Roger Marcel Béalu to Monsieur Thorillon: "... ces pages maladroites mais sincères en souvenir d'un combat ancien..." ["... these clumsy but sincere pages in memory of an ancient struggle..."]

First edition, one of 30 numbered copies on pure wove paper, the only deluxe copies along with some hors commerce copies.
Some light foxing to endpapers and edges.
Autograph inscription dated and signed by Maurice Chevalier to Georges Feutrel.

First edition.
Publisher's binding, smooth spine, with its illustrated dust jacket.
Numerous illustrations.
Outstanding signed and inscribed copy across the title page and facing endpaper, by Salvador Dali to Ms Elisa Hanioti, painter herself and close friend of Gen Paul.
Dali's intial D takes the form of his famous "snail drawing".
Former British officer Captain Moore, alleged secret agent during WW2 and Dali's secretary from 1956 to 1974, added the words "Paris, 1969" and signed at the bottom of the title page.

First edition, one of 110 numbered copies on pur fil du Marais paper, ours being one of 60 reserved for the Club de l'édition originale, the only deluxe copies.
Handsome copy.
Autograph signature of Françoise Mallet-Joris on the half-title page.

Full-length albumen carte-de-visite photograph of Alphonse de Lamartine, taken by Adolphe Alexandre Martin.
Photograph mounted on card bearing A. Martin's name. Photographer's advertisement on verso. Fine print.
This sitting at Martin's studio produced several photographs of the writer, in slightly different poses. This same photograph can be found at the Lamartine museum, with the writer in a different pose, seated on the armchair visible in the background, with a plaid blanket on his knees; the Musée d'Orsay possesses one with the writer still seated, but without the plaid. This sitting was Lamartine's last, showing him shortly before his death. Furthermore, the exact date of the Martin sitting is not known. The various prints we have encountered in different poses bear the same address on the back: rue Nve Saint Augustin.
Adolphe Alexandre Martin was a photography pioneer; he invented the ferrotype in 1853, replacing glass plates with iron plates covered with collodion varnish.

Autograph letter dated and signed by Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle, 12 lines in black ink, which he addressed to a woman of letters apologizing for not having been able to visit her due to his feverish state.
Trace of folding inherent to postal dispatch, some foxing on the letter.

Autograph signed carte de visite by Alphonse de Chateaubriant, 5 lines written in blue ink, addressed to Georges Normandy thanking him for having sent him his work "Le père Decorne et ses semblables" recently published.
A small black ink stain in the upper right margin of the card, thin adhesive strips in the right and left margins of the verso of the card.

Silver gelatin photograph from the original plate by Pierre Petit who took this photograph around 1880. Cabinet card format.
A photograph. Superb print, with strong contrast, very sharp.
Several portraits exist from this famous sitting in Pierre Petit's studio, where we always see the scientist up close, in more fashionable attire. He wears the rosette of the Legion of Honor. The sessions at Nadar's appear to be a few years older. In this sitting, Pasteur hints at a smile and wears more elegant clothing. We know of prints from this sitting session but frontal, not in profile. Pierre Petit's framings are quite unusual for the period, tightly focused on the subject.

Autograph letter dated and signed by André Gide, 10 lines in black ink on laid paper, addressed to his cousin Marguerite de Flaux, Baroness de Charnisay.
Fold marks inherent to mailing, envelope included.
André Gide expresses his longing to see his cousin again and hopes she will contact him upon her return to Paris: "... vous me savez, très impatiemment votre affectueusement et respectueusement dévoué." ["... you know me to be, very impatiently your affectionately and respectfully devoted."]

Autograph postcard signed by Jean Paulhan, 30 lines written in blue ink on the verso of a photographic reproduction showing a view of Capri, addressed to publisher Felia Leal, notably of the work "Paroles transparentes", a work by Jean Paulhan illustrated by Georges Braque. She also wrote children's tales.
Jean Paulhan shares his mixed impressions of Italy, its landscapes and monuments: "Il faut renoncer aux paysages trop beaux...Pour les églises et les monuments, la meilleure solution, je crois, serait d'y jeter un coup d'oeil, de bien recevoir le choc, et puis s'en aller. L'attention affaiblit tout." ["One must give up landscapes that are too beautiful...For churches and monuments, the best solution, I believe, would be to glance at them, receive the shock properly, and then leave. Attention weakens everything."]

Autograph letter signed by Jacques Perret, 17 lines in black ink, addressed to Roger Nimier.
Fold marks inherent to mailing, envelope included.
Jacques Perret has nothing to provide for now to publishers, notably to Gallimard's Roger Nimier: "Pas de bonne nouvelle sentimentale non plus, mais il reste entendu qu'un texte de ce genre n'était pas ailleurs que chez vous." ["No good sentimental news either, but it remains understood that a text of this kind belongs nowhere else but with you."] to whom he claims his arrears for his latest work: "Soyez gentil de rappeler à la caisse qu'il reste un petit fric à toucher sur ce trapèze..." ["Be kind enough to remind the cashier that there's still a little money to collect on this trapeze..."]

First edition, one of 160 numbered copies on vellum, the only deluxe copies.
Very fine copy.

First illustrated edition, uncommon, with 60 wood-engraved plates by Gustave Doré, engraved by Huyot, Jonnard... Edition with the first address: Quai de l'école, preferable to the second.
Half old red morocco binding with corners. Jansenist spine with raised bands bearing title, author and date at foot. Series of double fillets on boards. Light traces of rubbing. Corners and boards rubbed. Paper superbly fresh, of exquisite whiteness, except for one signature lightly browned and a slight trace of dampstain to upper margin of one engraving, and foxing to upper margin of table of contents.
Rare condition in contemporary half morocco with beautifully fresh paper.
"A highly sought-after publication for its remarkable illustration, it is of great rarity in first printing" (Carteret, 259). One of the first works illustrated by the young Gustave Doré, friend of Théophile Gautier.

Autograph letter dated and signed by Charles De Gaulle, 12 lines in blue ink, thanking his correspondent for her New Year wishes and presenting his own along with those of his wife Yvonne: "... vous savez que mes voeux les plus affectueux sont avec vous, avec Jacques et avec vos enfants..." ["... you know that my most affectionate wishes are with you, with Jacques and with your children..."]
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Autograph letter dated and signed by Raymond Queneau, 17 lines in black ink, addressed to Monsieur Lauwaert.
Raymond Queneau and his wife Janine are sorry they cannot spend a few days with their friends: " Ma femme doit entrer en clinique ces jours-ci pour un traitement de radiothérapie, souffrant d'une sciatique aiguë" ["My wife must enter the clinic these days for radiotherapy treatment, suffering from acute sciatica"], hoping this is only a postponement: "... nous espérons bien venir en septembre et pouvoir récupérer longuement une meilleure santé, car la meilleure non plus n'a pas été brillante cet hiver." ["... we very much hope to come in September and be able to recover better health for a long time, as mine hasn't been brilliant this winter either."]
A touching letter from Raymond Queneau about his wife's fragile health, she being destined to pass away a few months later, on July 18, 1972.

Autograph letter by Paul Valéry signed with his initials addressed to a fellow writer (13 lines in black ink) thanking him for sending and dedicating his latest collection titled Psyché.
He also mentions Jacques Rivière, advising his correspondent to send him the work: "Pour vous dire aussi que j'ai parlé à Jacques Rivière dont j'espère qu'il me tiendra parole cette fois. Adressez-lui le recueil - à lui-même, avec dédicace à lui-même..." ["To also tell you that I spoke to Jacques Rivière and I hope he will keep his word to me this time. Send him the collection - to him personally, with a dedication to him personally..."]
Folds inherent to postal mailing.

Signed autograph postcard by Maurice Béjart, written in blue ballpoint pen on the verso of a photographic reproduction depicting Villa Rufolo in Ravello, on the Amalfi coast.
Villa Rufolo was immortalized by Richard Wagner in his "Parsifal" as Klingsor's enchanted castle.