Latest acquisitions

Louis ARAGON
L'homme communiste - L'homme communiste II, 1953 - Complet en deux volumes
Gallimard|Paris 1946-1953|12 x 19 cm|2 volumes brochés
First edition, one of 55 numbered copies on vellum for each volume, deluxe copies.
Spines very lightly sunned without detriment, handsome set.
€800
André MALRAUX
Hôtes de passage
Gallimard|Paris 1975|12.50 x 20 cm|broché
First edition, one of 120 numbered copies on Holland paper, deluxe copy.
Very handsome copy.

€800
Marguerite DURAS
Les viaducs de Seine-et-Oise
Gallimard|Paris 1960|12 x 19.50 cm|broché
First edition, one of 25 numbered copies on pur fil, the only deluxe copies.
Rare and handsome copy.
€1,500
Paul MORAND
Le lion écarlate précédé de La fin de Byzance et d'Isabeau de Bavière
Gallimard|Paris 1959|13.50 x 19.50 cm|broché
First edition, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
Spine lightly sunned without gravity.
Precious autograph inscription signed by Paul Morand: "A Jouhandeau, ces spectacles sans théâtre, son ami Morand." ["To Jouhandeau, these spectacles without theater, his friend Morand."]
€450
Maurice BLANCHOT
Le dernier homme
Gallimard|Paris 1957|12 x 19 cm|broché
First edition, one of 30 numbered copies on pur fil paper, the only deluxe copies.
Very handsome copy.
€600
Henry de MONTHERLANT
Le paradis à l'ombre des épées
Grasset|Paris 1924|12 x 19 cm|broché
First edition, one of 20 lettered copies on japan paper, the most limited deluxe paper issue after 10 copies on chine.
Very handsome copy in double wrappers.
€450
Henry de MONTHERLANT
Les onze devant la porte dorée
Grasset|Paris 1924|12 x 19 cm|broché
First edition, one of 20 numbered copies on Japan paper, the most limited deluxe printing with 40 on vert lumière and after 10 on chine.
Very fine copy with double wrappers.
€450
Carlo LEVI
La Montre
Gallimard|Paris 1952|14.50 x 21 cm|broché
First edition in French, one of 86 numbered copies on pur fil paper, the only deluxe copies.
Handsome copy.
€200
Louis ARAGON
Blanche ou l'oubli
Gallimard|Paris 1967|14 x 20.50 cm|broché
First edition, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
A small tear at foot of spine, handsome copy.
Autograph inscription signed by Louis Aragon to Monsieur Pérard.
€250
Jean-Marie Gustave LE CLÉZIO
Le déluge
Gallimard|Paris 1966|14.50 x 21.50 cm|broché
First edition, one of 150 numbered copies on pur fil paper, ours being one of the 65 reserved for the Club de l'édition originale, the only deluxe copies after 30 on Holland paper.
Two very light traces of sunning at head and foot of spine, otherwise a handsome copy.
€300
Stéphane MALLARMÉ
Lettres à Méry Laurent
Gallimard|Paris 1996|14.50 x 21.50 cm|broché
First edition, one of 25 numbered copies on pure rag paper, the only deluxe copies.
Handsome copy.
€350
Julien GREEN
Journal 1950-1954, volume VI
Plon|Paris 1955|12 x 19 cm|broché
First edition, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
Spine and covers marginally sunned.
Signed and inscribed by Julien Green to Marcel Jouhandeau.

€100
Jean-Paul SARTRE
L'engrenage
Nagel|Paris 1948|12 x 19 cm|broché
First edition, one of 500 numbered copies on laid paper, the only deluxe copies after 20 Arches and 50 alfa.
Handsome copy.
€120
Jacques CHARDONNE
Chronique privée de l'an 40
Stock|Paris 1940|12 x 19 cm|broché
First edition on ordinary paper, false statement of thirteenth edition.
Some foxing to covers and edges.
Precious signed autograph inscription from Jacques Chardonne: "A Marcel Jouhandeau, avec ma profonde admiration. Jacques Chardonne." ["To Marcel Jouhandeau, with my profound admiration. Jacques Chardonne."]

€200
Paul MORAND
La dame blanche des Habsbourg
Robert Laffont|Paris 1963|12.50 x 19.50 cm|broché
First edition, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
Spine slightly wrinkled as usual.
Fine and precious signed autograph inscription from Paul Morand: "A Marcel Jouhandeau, à Elise, ici, l'ère bicéphale découpée..." ["To Marcel Jouhandeau, to Elise, here, the bicephalous era cut out..."]
Remarkable annotations by Marcel Jouhandeau in the left margin of the last page, in blue ballpoint pen and red pencil, concerning menus he plans to compose.
When spiritual nourishment meets earthly nourishment...

€400
Pierre Jean JOUVE
Sueur de sang
Les cahiers libres|Paris 1934|12 x 19 cm|broché
First edition, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
Some light foxing affecting mainly the edges.
Precious signed autograph inscription from Pierre-Jean Jouve to Marcel Jouhandeau.

€300
Louis ARAGON
L'enseigne de Gersaint
Ides et Calendes|Neuchâtel • & Paris 1946|16.50 x 22.50 cm|broché
First edition, one of the numbered copies on vellum, the only issue with 60 Ingres.
The work illustrated with plates by Watteau.
Handsome copy.
Signed autograph inscription from Louis Aragon to Jeanne Moirond.
€280
Francis COLLINGWOOD, John WOOLLAMS
Le cuisinier anglais universel, ou le nec plus ultra de la gourmandise
Tardieu|Paris 1810|13.50 x 22 cm|2 volumes reliés
| An English celebrity-chef cook-book, the only "foreign" ever translated into French in the 19th-C |

Le cuisinier anglais universel, ou le nec plus ultra de la gourmandise [The Universal Cook], Tardieu, Paris 1810, 13,5x22cm, 2 bound volumes.
Rare first French edition.
2 frontispieces and 12 numbered engravings bound at rear of the second volume.
Small lack of paper to upper right corner and marginal restoration to the first volume's title page. Minor foxing, a light halo to the right margin of each of the 12 engravings at rear of the second volume.
Red half morocco binding, smooth spines with arabesques motifs in gilt, marbled paper boards, snags and rubbing to boards and edges, corners bent.
The book was first published as The Universal Cook in London in 1792; its fourth edition was translated into French and published in 1810.
The Universal Cook is the work of two famous chefs, Francis Collingwood and John Woollams, who worked in the most famous establishments on the London Strand: the London Tavern and The Crown and Anchor, known for serving members of the Whig-club.
This edition is one of the few examples of British cuisine making inroads into French gastronomic culture. The latter was to exert an almost unchallenged hegemony for a long time to come. The Universal Cook's publication was considered a curiosity in French culinary circles, as the publisher's preface indicates; it was also seen as a real risk, according to the great bibliographer Oberlé: "Let us admire the courage of the publisher Tardieu, who, in 1810, at a time when we had no enemies more hated than the English, dared to have translated a book praising the culinary splendors of the perfidious Albion". However, this rare publication was in response to demand from an Anglophile gourmet public: it's no coincidence that one of the first luxury restaurants in Paris was christened La Grande Taverne de Londres (The Great London Tavern) due to the renown attached, from the end of the 18th century, to fine dining as it was practiced in England. The book was issued during post-revolutionary France, where cooking had outgrown aristocratic circles. Former cooks in the service of now emigrated nobles opened restaurants, where they developed a true "culinary science" like their English counterparts.
Recipes in this book illustrate changes in English culinary culture at the turn of the 19th-century. The hierarchy of prestige, previously held by French cuisine with its rôts and potages, gave way to puddings and tarts. There are only fourteen "French-style" preparations: fricandeau, duck, mauviettes, sole, turbot, cookies, "selle de mouton [pullets] à la Saint-Menehould", "soupe lorraine"... For a short while, the city of London had replaced French court as center and driving force of culinary change.
A very rare appearance of English cuisine in French gastronomy, during an era of intense hostilities between the two countries as Napoleon waged war on Europe.
€3,000
Julien GRACQ, André MASSON
Liberté grande
José Corti|Paris 1946|12.50 x 19.50 cm|broché
First edition, one of 900 numbered copies on Lafuma paper, the only deluxe copies after 23 Arches and 50 pur fil.
The work illustrated with a frontispiece by André Masson.
Endpapers very lightly and marginally shaded, without consequence.
Handsome copy.
€180
Louis-Ferdinand CÉLINE
Féerie pour une autre fois
Gallimard|Paris 1952|11.50 x 18 cm|reliure de l'éditeur
First edition, one of 1050 numbered copies on wove paper.
Publisher's binding executed after the original design by Paul Bonet.
Very fine copy complete with its cellophane wrapper.
€1,000
Alain ROBBE-GRILLET
L'année dernière à Marienbad
Last Year at Marienbad
Les Editions de Minuit|Paris 1961|14 x 19 cm|broché
First edition, one of 90 numbered copies on pure laid paper, the only deluxe copies.
Handsome copy.
Work illustrated with 48 photographs hors-texte from this cult film directed by Alain Resnais.
Alain Robbe-Grillet submitted the screenplay version of "L'année dernière à Marienbad" to the filmmaker before shooting, this version presenting some slight variations from the film.
€1,500
Jean-Paul SARTRE
Réflexions sur la question juive
Anti-Semite and Jew
Paul Morihien|Paris 1946|12 x 19 cm|broché
Réflexions sur la question juive [Anti-Semite and Jew] Paul Morihien, Paris 1946, 12x19cm, original wrappers.

First edition, one of 120 numbered copies on pur fil, a deluxe copy.
Nice copy of one of the very first and most important essays on antisemitism shortly after the war, by the founder of Existentialism. Within a broader reflection on citizenship and identity, Jean-Paul Sartre demonstrates how ethnical essentialism feeds Nazi ideology.
€2,500
Masterpiece of Eroticism with a Capital O
Masterpiece of Eroticism with a Capital O
Pauline RÉAGE [Dominique AURY] Jean PAULHAN (pref.)
Histoire d'O
[Story of O]
Jean-Jacques Pauvert|Sceaux 1954|12 x 19 cm|en feuilles sous chemise et étui
First edition, one of 20 copies on Arches paper, most limited deluxe issue (tirage de tête).
Like all copies on Arches, it is wrapped in a double dust jacket in yellow and white, and bears the rare sanguine vignette drawn and engraved by Hans Bellmer.
Preface by Jean Paulhan.

Our copy is housed in a custom clamshell box featuring an original design signed by Julie Nadot.

Beautiful first edition copy of this masterpiece of erotic literature, in its most limited deluxe issue.
€17,000
The most important feminist essay in a limited first edition deluxe issue
The most important feminist essay in a limited first edition deluxe issue
Simone de BEAUVOIR
Le deuxième sexe
[The Second Sex]
Gallimard|Paris 1949|15 x 21 cm|2 volumes brochés en coffret
First edition, one of 55 numbered copies on pur fil paper, most limited deluxe issue.
Endleaves and half-title slightly and partially shaded.
Exceedingly rare and handsome copy of this seminal text of modern feminism.

Our copy is housed in a custom gray clamshell box, square spine titled in red, author's name and subtitles in black, first panel hollowed revealing a black and white photograph of Simone de Beauvoir as a young woman under a plexiglass, title in red, author's name, first volume number and subtitle in black, second panel hollowed revealing a color photograph of the author in her prime under plexiglass, titled in red, author's name, second volume number and subtitle in black, box lined with burgundy paper, superb work by artist Julie Nadot.
€20,000
Francis VIELÉ-GRIFFIN
"Puis-je compter lire l'Ermitage à Biarritz où le soleil et la mer s'unissent en un rythme parfait ?"
Autograph letter, dated and signed, addressed to Edouard Ducoté about Julia Daudet's niece, whom he wishes to have published in the Hermitage
S. n.|Biarritz 7 Mai 1900|13 x 20.50 cm|une page
Autograph letter signed by Francis Viélé-Griffin (19 lines in black ink on letterhead of the Continental Hotel B. Peyta in Biarritz) addressed to Edouard Ducoté, poet, bibliophile and director of the review l'Ermitage since 1895.
Crease marks inherent to folding for mailing.
To please the poetess Julia Daudet, Francis Viélé-Griffin recommends to Edouard Ducoté a poem by the latter's niece: "... je vous serais très reconnaissant, mon cher ami, d'accueillir l'oeuvre de cette jeune poétesse..." ["... I would be very grateful, my dear friend, if you would welcome the work of this young poetess..."]
While vacationing in Biarritz, Francis Viélé-Griffin also sends verses to the review directed by Edouard Ducoté.
Intimate friend of Stéphane Mallarmé, friend of André Gide, Paul Valéry, Francis Jammes, and Emile Verhaeren, Francis Viélé-Griffin was an American symbolist poet writing in French. He became, with Gustave Kahn, one of the principal theorists of free verse.
€150
Georges PEREC
La vie mode d'emploi
P.O.L.|Paris 1978|14 x 20.50 cm|broché
First edition on ordinary paper with the correct imprint dated August 25, 1978.
Spine lightly wrinkled and yellowed as usual.
€700
Francis VIELÉ-GRIFFIN
"... J'ai vu Gide à ce sujet ; il a accepté de participer d'une façon modeste à la consolidation financière de cette revue utile... "
Autograph letter dated and signed addressed to Edouard Ducoté about the rescue of the magazine Antée threatened with disappearance
S. n.|La Roche à Guet [La Roche à Gué] 30 Novembre 1907|13 x 18 cm|deux pages
Autograph letter signed by Francis Viélé-Griffin (31 lines in black ink from La Roche à Guet in the Vienne) addressed to Edouard Ducoté, poet, bibliophile and director of the review l'Ermitage since 1895.
Fold marks inherent to envelope insertion.
Several poets, including Francis Viélé-Griffin, band together to provide financial assistance to the dying review Antée: "... il se crée un consortium de nos amis pour assurer la publication d'Antée, menacée par une fugue de son ex-directeur..." ["a consortium of our friends is being created to ensure the publication of Antée, threatened by the flight of its former director..."], which is why he solicits his friend Edouard Ducoté as a contributor: "Puis-je compter sur vous pour une somme trimestrielle de cent francs ? ce serait de votre part un acte de solidarité..." ["May I count on you for a quarterly sum of one hundred francs? this would be an act of solidarity on your part..."] and also Stuart Merrill.
Close friend of Stéphane Mallarmé, friend of André Gide, Paul Valéry, Francis Jammes, Emile Verhaeren, Francis Viélé-Griffin was an American symbolist poet who wrote in French. He became, along with Gustave Kahn, one of the principal theorists of free verse.
€200
Pierre-André BENOIT
Carte manuscrite inédite, signée et illustrée d'une reproduction d'un dessin de PAB adressée à son ami le libraire montpelliérain Pierre Clerc lui présentant ses voeux pour l'année 1988
S. n.|Paris 1988|21 x 14.50 cm|une feuille
Autograph card signed by Pierre-André Benoit (4 lines in black ink written from his château at Rivières-de-Theyrargues in the Gard which he has occupied since 1970) addressed to the bookseller Pierre Clerc to whom he extends his wishes for 1984.
The card is illustrated on the recto with a reproduction of a drawing by PAB.
Poet, painter, engraver, Pierre-André Benoit or P.A.B. was above all a typographer and printer who produced more than 400 illustrated works bringing together the greatest post-war poets with the most talented painters of the second half of the twentieth century.
P.A.B.'s productions were first created on a small press installed in his apartment in Alès. They would bring together his poet friends René Char, André Breton, Paul Eluard, Paul Claudel, Erik Satie, Tristan Tzara and his painter friends Joan Miro, Georges Braque, Jean Dubuffet, Francis Picabia, Marcel Duchamp and Pablo Picasso. In 1949, he began using celluloid engraving which allowed him to make the prints himself and create the books in their entirety. From his modern château at Rivières-de-Theyrargues, in the Gard, he would eventually illustrate his works himself while continuing to work with his faithful friends Camille Bryen and Pierre Alechinsky.

€150
André LHOTE
De la palette à l'écritoire
Corrêa & Cie|Paris 1948|12 x 19 cm|broché
First edition, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
Work illustrated with a photographic frontispiece.
Copy with pages inevitably yellowed due to the poor quality of this post-war paper.
Signed autograph inscription from André Lhote to Lucie and Charles André Julien.
Socialist militant delegate to the congresses of Strasbourg and Tours in 1920, collaborator of Léon Blum when President of the Council, Charles André Julien was professor of colonial history at the Sorbonne and former dean of the faculty of letters at Rabat.
€150
André MALRAUX
Liste manuscrite adressée à André Parinaud concernant la réalisation de la série des écrits sur l'art d'André Malraux
S. n.|s. l. • (Paris) s. d. [1954]|13.50 x 20.50 cm|une feuille
Manuscript list by André Malraux (20 lines in blue ballpoint pen) providing details and instructions for André Parinaud concerning the publication of his works forming the "Ecrits sur l'art" collection illustrated with photographs by Roger Parry.

Fold marks inherent to postal mailing.

Resistance member and contributor to Combat, André Parinaud was a journalist, columnist, art critic and writer. From 1959 to 1967, he held the position of editor-in-chief of the important weekly Arts bringing together the elite of French creation in all artistic fields : literature, painting, theater, cinema... He would then conduct more than 1000 radio interviews with the greatest writers and artists including Salvador Dali, Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Colette, Paul Léautaud, André Breton, Georges Simenon and André Malraux... While continuing to work at O.R.T.F. and on radio, he founded several festivals or artistic events such as Le Festival international du film d'art, l'Académie nationale des arts de la rue.

€350
Henri BÉRAUD
" .. Oui, il faut espérer que cette année, qui pour moi commence, sera meilleure que celle qui s'achève..."
Autograph letter from prison dated and signed and addressed to his mother-in-law whom he affectionately calls "his dear mother" concerning a package he received for his birthday on September 21st
S. n.|Poissy 22 Septembre 1945|13.50 x 21 cm|trois pages
Fine autograph letter dated and signed by Henri Béraud addressed to his mother-in-law while he was incarcerated at Poissy prison (43 lines in blue ink on one recto-verso page) the day after his 60th birthday.
The letter is on letterhead of the infirmary of the central prison of Poissy, fold marks inherent to being placed in an envelope, Henri Béraud erroneously indicated the year 1942 in the date instead of 1945.
Henri Béraud overflows with thanks: "... quel époustouflant colis cette semaine ! Il n'y manquait que les petites bougies du rituel gâteau..." ["... what a stunning package this week! All that was missing were the little candles from the ritual cake..."] and projects himself into a happier and freer future: "Espérons qu'au 21 septembre prochain nous le mangerons en famille... avec une bougie de plus." ["Let's hope that next September 21st we'll eat it as a family... with one more candle."]
He rejoices in his brothers-in-law's professional successes only to better caricature himself as the ugly duckling: "... vous seriez, chère maman comblée par la vie, si votre gendre ne vous donnait, à lui seul, plus de souci que toute la famille réunie ne vous en a jamais donné. Ce n'est pas mon moindre chagrin, vous le savez..." ["... you would be, dear mama, fulfilled by life, if your son-in-law alone didn't give you more worry than the entire family combined has ever given you. This is not my least sorrow, as you know..."] and as a burden: "... il m'est cruel, après toute une vie de travail, d'être une charge, pour les miens et de ne pouvoir leur apporter que le poids d'une destinée affreuse, encore qu'immeritée, pour vous plus encore que pour moi." ["... it is cruel to me, after a lifetime of work, to be a burden to my loved ones and to be able to bring them only the weight of a terrible destiny, though undeserved, for you even more than for me."]
Henri Béraud is also tormented by his wife Germaine, whom he senses is unhappy although she wants to hide it from him: "... il faut qu'elle me dise tout. J'ai tellement confiance en elle, qu'elle ne doit rien me cacher. Nous la savons si courageuse ! mais mon propre courage a besoin de tout savoir..." ["... she must tell me everything. I have such confidence in her that she must hide nothing from me. We know her to be so courageous! but my own courage needs to know everything..."]
After psychological concerns, Henri Béraud shifts to the material imperatives so crucial for the prisoner he is: "j'aurais besoin d'un tube de brillantine, si toutefois il est possible d'en trouver. Je voudrais aussi que mes caleçons fussent prêts..." ["I would need a tube of brilliantine, if it's possible to find one. I would also like my underwear to be ready..."] even taking interest in the family garden: "... il faudra utiliser, cette semaine au jardin, la seconde moitié des grains envoyés par Pierre. C'est le moyen qu'ils ne soient pas tous perdus..." ["... we'll need to use, this week in the garden, the second half of the seeds sent by Pierre. That's the way to ensure they're not all lost..."]
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 (1922 Prix Goncourt 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 pro-collaborationist extreme right, is characteristic of the inexorable rise of totalitarianisms between the two 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, recently and partially liberated from British rule, 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 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 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.

€750
Patrick MODIANO
La place de l'étoile
Gallimard|Paris 1968|12 x 19 cm|broché
First edition of Patrick Modiano's first work, of which there were no deluxe copies and bearing the correct imprint of March 28, 1968, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
Preface by Jean Cau.
Handsome copy expanded with a promotional band printed on the occasion of his first literary prize the following year.
Very rare signed autograph inscription by Patrick Modiano on this work: "Pour Marcel Arland avec ma vive admiration. Hommage de l'auteur. Modiano." ["For Marcel Arland with my keen admiration. Author's tribute. Modiano."]
Marcel Arland, co-director with Jean Paulhan of Editions Gallimard since 1953 and historical member of the Reading Committee of the famous publishing house, was thus responsible for discovering this very young 23-year-old author, future Nobel Prize winner in Literature.
Inscriptions by Patrick Modiano on his first novel are extremely rare.
€4,500
Patrick MODIANO
La Ronde de Nuit
Gallimard|Paris 1969|12 x 19 cm|broché
First edition of which no deluxe copies were printed, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
Spine partially sunned as usual.
Precious and rare signed autograph inscription from Patrick Modiano on his second work: "Pour Dominique Aury en respectueux hommage. Modiano."
Dominique Aury is not only the secret author of the scandalous Histoire d'O published under the pseudonym Pauline Réage. She is above all, since 1953, the influential secretary general of the NRF alongside Jean Paulhan and Marcel Arland and one of the principal readers on the Reading Committee of Editions Gallimard.
Just 24 years old, the future Nobel Prize winner in Literature thus addresses his second novel to one of the historic figures of French publishing, and discrete author of the greatest erotic novel of the 20th century.

€2,500
Patrick MODIANO
Les Boulevards de ceinture
Gallimard|Paris 1972|14 x 20.50 cm|broché
First edition of which no deluxe copies were printed and retaining the correct imprint, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
Handsome copy.

€500
Pierre BENOIT
Les amours mortes
Albin Michel|Paris 1961|14 x 21.50 cm|broché
First edition, one of 70 numbered copies on Holland paper, deluxe issue.
A small black stain on the spine.
Handsome full-margined copy.
€250
Guy DES CARS
"... si cette satanée politique ne bouchait pas toutes les pages ! ...".."
Autograph letter, dated and signed, addressed to a fellow journalist and writer
S. n.|Nice 11 Août1941|21.50 x 27.50 cm|une page recto verso
Autograph letter dated and signed by Guy Des Cars (34 lines in blue ink from Nice, on letterhead of the newspaper l'Alerte, weekly of French renewal) to a fellow writer about his work soon to be completed but also about the omnipresence of politics in the press to the detriment of other subjects, particularly literary ones.
Crease marks inherent to folding for mailing.
Guy Des Cars finally breaks his epistolary silence after having been ill: "... je me suis installé dans un vieux mas provençal, rôti par le soleil à Cagnes-sur-mer..." ["... I have settled in an old Provençal farmhouse, roasted by the sun in Cagnes-sur-mer..."] in order to let it be known that his next work will soon be completed: "... je vis là en ermite et mets la dernière main à un nouveau livre, un roman..." ["... I live there as a hermit and am putting the finishing touches to a new book, a novel..."]
He acknowledges being indebted to favorable reviews, including those of his correspondent, for the success encountered by his "Officier sans nom" and will not fail to do the same when he gives a review of his fellow novelist's work.
As a literary critic, he deplores the fact that articles related to politics occupy a large part of daily newspapers, leaving little room for cultural articles: "... si cette satanée politique ne bouchait pas toutes les pages ! ..." ["... if this damned politics didn't block up all the pages! ..."], which is why he rejoices at an upcoming opportunity: "... nous avons d'ailleurs le projet d'augmentation du nombre de pages de l'Alerte... à ce moment nous passerons en vrac, romans et nouvelles..." ["... we moreover have the project to increase the number of pages of l'Alerte... at that time we will include in bulk, novels and short stories..."]
Finally, the author of "L'officier sans nom" thanks his colleague while teasing his somewhat grumpy side: "... Et surtout ne faites pas les gros yeux derrière vos lunettes. Cà ne vous va pas..." ["... And above all don't make big eyes behind your glasses. It doesn't suit you..."]

€150
André MALRAUX (to Roger NIMIER)
Lettre tapuscrite signée d'André Malraux à Roger Nimier
S. n.|Paris 8 Décembre 1951|13.50 x 21 cm|une page sur une feuille
Typed letter signed by André Malraux to Roger Nimier sent from his home in Boulogne, Malraux's signature at the bottom of the letter in blue ink.
A small tear in the right margin of the letter, crease marks inherent to folding for mailing.
André Malraux shows himself in perfect agreement with Roger Nimier regarding a joint project also including journalist André Parinaud.
€150
André MALRAUX (to Roger NIMIER)
Lettre tapuscrite signée du ministre de l'Information André Malraux à Roger Nimier à propos de formalités administratives incombant à son ministère
S. n.|Paris 8 Janvier 1946|21 x 27 cm|une page sur une feuille + une enveloppe
Typed letter signed by André Malraux to Roger Nimier on Ministry of Information letterhead, Malraux's signature at the bottom of the letter in black ink.
Fold mark inherent to posting; envelope with typewritten address included, Ministry of Information stamp.
André Malraux responds to Roger Nimier regarding administrative matters concerning the Ministry of Information directed by André Malraux from November 21, 1945 to January 26, 1946 in the government presided over by Charles De Gaulle.
€150
Reynaldo HAHN
"... que de tristesses depuis notre déjeuner à St Rémy ! C'est le dernier moment agréable que j'ai vécu depuis de longs mois, et je vous le dois..."
Autograph letter signed to Marthe Daudet thanking her for her comforting words after the death of her sister
S. n.|Monte-Carlo [Monte Carlo] 24 Septembre s. d. [ca 1924]|13.50 x 20.50 cm|une feuille recto verso
Autograph letter signed by Reynaldo Hahn, dandy, composer and great love of Marcel Proust (30 lines in blue ink from the Hôtel de la Réserve in Monte Carlo) addressed to Marthe Daudet, wife of the journalist and monarchist writer Léon Daudet, principal collaborator of Charles Maurras at Action Française.
Fold mark inherent to posting, the ink of some letters having bled on the verso.
Since the death of his sister, Reynaldo Hahn is inconsolable and recalls the all too rare joys he has experienced in recent times. He thanks Marthe Daudet who tempered his despondency: "... what sadness since our lunch in St Rémy! It is the last pleasant moment I have lived in long months, and I owe it to you..."
He also recalls the sufferings of his late sister: "... it is only at the end that she knew some rest. What courage she showed these past two years! " and draws a parallel with the tragic death of Philippe Daudet which shook the Daudet family: "... I think very often of him (Léon Daudet) and of your painful ordeal."
On November 23, 1923, traveling in a taxi, Philippe Daudet committed suicide at the age of 14, his father accusing anarchist circles or the Third Republic police of having disguised this "crime" as suicide.

€300
TOMIOKA EISEN, MIYAGAWA SHUNTEI
Shunga. 7 peintures sur soie
1880 - 1900|25.80 x 31.70 cm|autre
Set of 7 original paintings on silk, 4 attributed to Tomioka Eisen and 3 to Migawata Shuntei. Eisen's paintings mounted on original cardboard with mica paper, those by Shuntei on raw silk loose.
Modern accordion binding executed in fabric, cardboard, paper and leather. The ensemble has been meticulously conceived and executed with respect for the paintings. The folding structure is bound to a light green fabric chemise. Each panel unfolds by means of a supple leather band. The paintings already mounted on cardboard have been remounted on another cardboard, those on silk benefit from particular treatment; they are simply held by 2 paper strips in the margins. Each painting has an opening frame made from different modern Japanese paper. The pastedowns, the case, the interior of the folding structure as well as the exterior have been treated with different very precious Japanese papers. This execution emanates great preciosity, in total accord with the paintings it contains. Light traces of pale dampstains and soiling to spine. Small worming to some paintings.
Magnificent ensemble.
Like the last fires of a setting sun, the late realizations of shunga are distinguished by a particular brilliance, a refinement and preciosity never equaled. Although they continue to respect the framework and traditional codes of shunga, these paintings exacerbate the play of fabrics, poses, faces, the pictorial realization seeming to prevail over the illustrated theme, particularly in Shuntei's works in which the bodies seem to float in space, those of Eisen all possessing rich decoration. Besides these changes operated in pictorial treatment, one observes a change in the role attributed to woman, a more present, participative, even primary and incitative role.
€4,500
Pierre BENOIT, Paul MORAND
Aréthuse
Albin Michel|Paris 1963|14 x 20 cm|broché
First edition, one of 45 numbered copies on Holland paper, deluxe copy.
Very handsome full-margined copy.
Preface by Paul Morand, afterword by Kléber Haedens.
€250
Élie WIESEL
Les juges
Seuil|Paris 1999|14 x 20.50 cm|broché
First edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Handsome copy.
Autograph inscription signed by Elie Wiesel to Catherine David: "... car je me rappelle un petit-déjeuner si lointain..." ["for I remember such a distant breakfast..."]
Novelist, essayist, literary critic, pianist, Catherine David was a pioneer of ideas journalism at Le Nouvel Observateur. Laurent Joffrin, former director of the newspaper, offered this beautiful funeral tribute in the January 4, 2023 issue: "... Her passions were eclectic, from music to tai chi, from philosophy to hybrid disciplines, at the crossroads of science and spirituality. Her books bear this mark, a brilliant variation on movement (la Beauté du geste), an essay on Simone Signoret, a spirited biography of Pico della Mirandola, the man of all knowledge, and several volumes of interviews with Stephen Jay Gould, Jean Delumeau, Hubert Reeves or Christiane Desroches Noblecourt.
Such an itinerary could have created an irritating character, Saint-Germain-des-Prés style, floating above ordinary mortals in the limbo of thought and intellectual-chic society. Catherine was quite the opposite, a good friend, living with simplicity and camaraderie, cultivating the art of being a grandmother, with laughter and watchful attention..."
€200
Élie WIESEL
Le temps des déracinés
Seuil|Paris 2003|14 x 20.50 cm|broché
First edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Handsome copy complete with its illustrated dust jacket.
Autograph inscription signed by Elie Wiesel to Catherine David: "... en souvenir d'une rencontre lointaine..." ["in memory of a distant encounter..."]
Novelist, essayist, literary critic, pianist, Catherine David was a pioneer of ideas journalism at Le Nouvel Observateur. Laurent Joffrin, former director of the newspaper, offered this beautiful funeral tribute in the January 4, 2023 issue: "... Her passions were eclectic, from music to tai chi, from philosophy to hybrid disciplines, at the crossroads of science and spirituality. Her books bear this mark, a brilliant variation on movement (la Beauté du geste), an essay on Simone Signoret, a spirited biography of Pico della Mirandola, the man of all knowledge, and several volumes of interviews with Stephen Jay Gould, Jean Delumeau, Hubert Reeves or Christiane Desroches Noblecourt.
Such an itinerary could have created an irritating character, Saint-Germain-des-Prés style, floating above ordinary mortals in the limbo of thought and intellectual-chic society. Catherine was quite the opposite, a good friend, living with simplicity and camaraderie, cultivating the art of being a grandmother, with laughter and watchful attention..."
€200
Élie WIESEL
Un désir fou de danser
Seuil|Paris 2006|14 x 20.50 cm|broché
First edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Handsome copy with the illustrated dust jacket.
Signed autograph inscription by Elie Wiesel to Catherine David on a piece of paper pasted on the half-title page.
Novelist, essayist, literary critic, pianist, Catherine David was a pioneer of opinion journalism at Le Nouvel Observateur. Laurent Joffrin, former editor of the newspaper, offering this fine funeral tribute in the January 4, 2023 issue: "... Her passions are eclectic, from music to tai chi, from philosophy to hybrid disciplines, at the frontiers of science and spirituality. Her books bear this mark, a brilliant variation on movement (la Beauté du geste), an essay on Simone Signoret, a spirited biography of Pico della Mirandola, the man of all knowledge, and several volumes of interviews with Stephen Jay Gould, Jean Delumeau, Hubert Reeves or Christiane Desroches Noblecourt.
Such an itinerary could have composed an irritating character, germanopratin, floating above ordinary mortals in the limbo of thought and intellectual chic worldliness. Catherine was quite the opposite, a good friend, living in simplicity and camaraderie, cultivating the art of being a grandmother, in laughter and vigilant attention..."
€200
Jacqueline de ROMILLY
Dans le jardin des mots
Editions de Fallois|Paris 2007|15.50 x 22.50 cm|broché
First edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Handsome copy.
Signed and inscribed by the Immortal Jacqueline de Romilly to Catherine David: "... afin de jouer avec les mots et avec mon bon fidèle souvenir." ["...to play with words and with my good faithful memory."]
Novelist, essayist, literary critic, pianist, Catherine David was a pioneer of opinion journalism at Le Nouvel Observateur. Laurent Joffrin, former editor of the newspaper, offering this fine funeral tribute in the January 4, 2023 issue: "... Her passions are eclectic, from music to tai chi, from philosophy to hybrid disciplines, at the frontiers of science and spirituality. Her books bear this mark, a brilliant variation on movement (la Beauté du geste), an essay on Simone Signoret, a spirited biography of Pico della Mirandola, the man of all knowledge, and several volumes of interviews with Stephen Jay Gould, Jean Delumeau, Hubert Reeves or Christiane Desroches Noblecourt.
Such an itinerary could have composed an irritating character, germanopratin, floating above ordinary mortals in the limbo of thought and intellectual chic worldliness. Catherine was quite the opposite, a good friend, living in simplicity and camaraderie, cultivating the art of being a grandmother, in laughter and vigilant attention..."

€100
André COMTE-SPONVILLE
L'esprit de l'athéisme - Introduction à une spiritualité sans dieu
Albin Michel|Paris 2006|14.50 x 22.50 cm|broché
First edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Handsome copy.
Dated and signed autograph inscription from André Comte-Sponville to Catherine David.
Novelist, essayist, literary critic, pianist, Catherine David was a pioneer of intellectual journalism at Le Nouvel Observateur. Laurent Joffrin, former director of the newspaper, offered this beautiful funeral eulogy in the January 4, 2023 issue: "... Her passions were eclectic, from music to tai chi chuan, from philosophy to hybrid disciplines, at the boundaries of science and spirituality. Her books bear this mark: a brilliant variation on movement (la Beauté du geste), an essay on Simone Signoret, a spirited biography of Pico della Mirandola, the man of all knowledge, and several volumes of interviews with Stephen Jay Gould, Jean Delumeau, Hubert Reeves or Christiane Desroches Noblecourt.
Such a path could have composed an irritating character, Saint-Germain-des-Prés style, floating above ordinary mortals in the limbo of thought and intellectual-chic worldliness. Catherine was quite the opposite, a good friend, living with simplicity and camaraderie, cultivating the art of being a grandmother, with laughter and vigilant attention..."
€150
Philippe SOLLERS
Illuminations à travers les textes sacrés
Robert Laffont|Paris 2003|13.50 x 21.50 cm|broché
First edition on ordinary paper.
Handsome copy, iconography.
Signed autograph inscription from Philippe Sollers to Catherine David.
Novelist, essayist, literary critic, pianist, Catherine David was a pioneer of intellectual journalism at Le Nouvel Observateur. Laurent Joffrin, former director of the newspaper, offered this beautiful funeral eulogy in the January 4, 2023 issue: "... Her passions were eclectic, from music to tai chi chuan, from philosophy to hybrid disciplines, at the boundaries of science and spirituality. Her books bear this mark: a brilliant variation on movement (la Beauté du geste), an essay on Simone Signoret, a spirited biography of Pico della Mirandola, the man of all knowledge, and several volumes of interviews with Stephen Jay Gould, Jean Delumeau, Hubert Reeves or Christiane Desroches Noblecourt.
Such a path could have composed an irritating character, Saint-Germain-des-Prés style, floating above ordinary mortals in the limbo of thought and intellectual-chic worldliness. Catherine was quite the opposite, a good friend, living with simplicity and camaraderie, cultivating the art of being a grandmother, with laughter and vigilant attention..."
€100
Henri BÉRAUD
" ... seul, en somme, votre gendre vous donne du souci. Que voulez-vous, il faut bien que dans toutes les familles, y comprises les meilleures, on compte un mauvais sujet ..."
Moving autograph letter from prison, dated and signed and addressed to his mother-in-law, whom he affectionately calls "his dear mother"
S. n.|Poissy 6 Octobre1945|13 x 21 cm|deux pages
Touching autograph letter dated and signed by Henri Béraud addressed to his mother-in-law while he was incarcerated at Poissy prison (46 lines in blue ink on one recto-verso page) relating his situation as a prisoner and worrying about his mother-in-law's failing health.
The letter is on letterhead from the infirmary of the central prison of Poissy, with fold marks inherent to being placed in an envelope.
Henri Béraud is very sad not to have been able to see his mother-in-law who encounters some health problems preventing her comforting visits to Poissy: "... j'ai été bien peiné de ne pas vous voir jeudi..." ["I was very saddened not to see you Thursday..."] but promises to see her again soon in good health: "... que du moins après cela je vous retrouve en belle santé et toute gaie, comme toujours..." ["may I at least find you again after this in good health and all cheerful, as always..."]
He asks for news of his helpful mother-in-law's family and positions himself as the ugly duckling of the family: " ... seul, en somme, votre gendre vous donne du souci. Que voulez-vous, il faut bien que dans toutes les familles, y comprises les meilleures, on compte un mauvais sujet ..." ["alone, in short, your son-in-law gives you worry. What can you do, it's necessary that in all families, including the best ones, there be one bad subject..."]
Finally, Henri Béraud ironizes about his condition so as not to make "his dear mama" feel too guilty about missing their meetings in the visiting room, Henri Béraud's only source of escape to the outside world: "... ne vous fatiguez pas surtout, comme je vous soupçonne de le faire, pour les colis de ce chenapan. Il est infiniment trop gâté, et une fois de plus, il vous remercien de tout coeur, pour la peine que vous prenez..." ["don't tire yourself especially, as I suspect you do, for the packages of this rascal. He is infinitely too spoiled, and once again, he thanks you with all his heart for the trouble you take..."]
A bon vivant native of Lyon, Henri Béraud was a journalist and international 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 totalitarianism in the inter-war period and the corruption of many French intellectuals. Friend of Roland Dorgelès, Albert Londres and especially Joseph Kessel whom he met in 1922 in Ireland when it was recently and partially liberated from British rule, 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-parliamentarism, Anglophobia (Faut-il réduire l'Angleterre en esclavage ? published in 1935 and dedicated to Joseph Kessel), and anti-Semitism "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 led to the suicide of the Popular Front's Interior Minister Roger Salengro, accused of desertion during the First World War. Arrested in September 1944 and sentenced to death on December 29, 1944 for intelligence with the enemy, he was pardoned by General De Gaulle.

€600
Georges ROUAULT
" ... je malmène trop cerveau et coeur et alors se vengent mes organes si sensibles et qu'avec l'âge on doit beaucoup plus ménager..."
Signed autograph letter about a postponed appointment for health reasons
S. n.|s. l. s. d. [circa 1930]|21.50 x 18 cm|une page
Autograph letter signed by the painter Georges Rouault (19 lines in blue ink on one page) apologizing for having to hastily postpone an appointment due to feeling unwell.
Fold marks inherent to being placed in an envelope.
His mind clouded by pain, Georges Rouault presents his apologies for their appointment which he cancelled and attempts, despite his correspondent's tight schedule, to meet with him nonetheless: "Je ne sais ce que j'ai pu écrire hier ayant été pris de violentes douleurs de tête et pressé de vous prévenir de l'impossibilité où j'étais..." ["I don't know what I could have written yesterday having been seized with violent headaches and pressed to inform you of the impossibility in which I found myself..."], "... je suis bien désireux de vous voir avant et de vive voix de m'exprimer mieux qu'ici..." ["... I am quite desirous to see you beforehand and to express myself better in person than here..."]
He feels better and ready to endure the physical ordeal of an interview while considering that he does not take much care of his precarious health: "... je malmène trop cerveau et coeur et alors se vengent mes organes si sensibles et qu'avec l'âge on doit beaucoup plus ménager..." ["... I mistreat my brain and heart too much and then my organs, so sensitive and which one must spare much more with age, take their revenge..."]

€600
Pierre MAC ORLAN
Lettre autographe datée et signée au jeune poète artésien Roger Valuet le remerciant d'être son pourvoyeur en tabac et pipes
S. n.|Saint-Cyr-sur-Morin 11 Septembre 1947|13.50 x 21.50 cm|une feuille
Autograph letter dated and signed by Pierre Mac Orlan (12 lines in blue ink) to his young friend the novice poet Roger Valuet.
Fold marks inherent to mailing.
Pierre Mac Orlan thanks his poet friend for having sent him a new package and sends him a check to supplement the one he had sent him previously: "... to supplement the first check which was insufficient, as no one here knew the price of these fancy articles" and informs him that he must still postpone his visit to Arras: "I will not go to Arras before the end of October... again!"
A native of Arras, Roger Valuet is a popular writer who signed, under the pseudonym Roger Vilard, numerous detective and espionage novels. At the beginning of his career, he was helped by Pierre Mac Orlan who wrote the preface to his first collection of poems.

€150
Pierre MAC ORLAN
"... la confesion de cette jeune fille... mère est très émouvante... Je pense sincèrement que vos dons de romancier sont certains..."
Autograph letter, dated and signed, to the young artesian poet Roger Valuet congratulating him on his latest work
S. n.|Saint-Cyr-sur-Morin 7 Mai 1951|21 x 13.50 cm|une feuille
Autograph letter dated and signed by Pierre Mac Orlan (12 lines in blue ink) to his young friend the beginning poet Roger Valuet.
Fold marks inherent to postal delivery.
Pierre Mac Orlan congratulates him and wonders why his correspondent does not sufficiently evoke his native region in his works: "... Pourquoi ne seriez-vous pas plus pittoresquement, plus lyriquement attaché à Arras..." ["... Why would you not be more picturesquely, more lyrically attached to Arras..."]
The author of "Quai des brumes" is busy: "... je suis absorbé par une pièce filmée pour la radio...Dans un mois, j'en aurai terminé avec ce travail." ["... I am absorbed by a filmed piece for radio...In a month, I will have finished with this work."]
Native of Arras, Roger Valuet was a popular writer who signed, under the pseudonym Roger Vilard, numerous crime and espionage novels. At the beginning of his career, he was helped by Pierre Mac Orlan who wrote the preface to his first collection of poems.

€150
Francis VIELÉ-GRIFFIN
"... il y a en vous cette gravité que connait seul l'homme qui sait sourire..."
Autograph letter dated and signed addressed to Edouard Ducoté
S. n.|La Roche à Guet [La Roche à Gué] 24 Juin 1901|13.50 x 21 cm|deux pages
Autograph letter signed by Francis Viélé-Griffin (37 lines in black ink from La Roche à Guet in Vienne) addressed to Edouard Ducoté, poet, bibliophile and director of the review l'Ermitage since 1895.
Fold marks inherent to postal delivery.
He compliments his fellow poet Edouard Ducoté on his latest work which approaches perfection: "... on y trouve l'expression, bien proche d'être complète, de l'être d'intelligence et de sensibilité qu'est le poète..." ["... one finds therein the expression, very nearly complete, of the being of intelligence and sensitivity that is the poet..."]
Beyond the fact that they share the same vision of poetry, Francis Viélé-Griffin sees in Edouard Ducoté: "... l'allure, à la fois légère et solide, la démarche droite sans raideur, sans brusquerie de votre pensée : votre poésie en prend l'autorité de la raison et votre émotion en est plus émouvante..." ["... the bearing, both light and solid, the straight gait without stiffness, without abruptness of your thought: your poetry takes from it the authority of reason and your emotion is all the more moving..."] as a worthy descendant of the trouvères: "... il y a en vous cette gravité que connait seul l'homme qui sait sourire..."["... there is in you that gravity which only the man who knows how to smile possesses..."]
Close friend of Stéphane Mallarmé, friend of André Gide, Paul Valéry, Francis Jammes, Emile Verhaeren, Francis Viélé-Griffin was an American Symbolist poet writing in French. He became, with Gustave Kahn, one of the principal theorists of free verse.
€200
Francis VIELÉ-GRIFFIN
"... seuls les médiocres, ceux du Parnasse sont exclus de ma bibliothèque..."
Autograph note, dated and signed, addressed to Edouard Ducoté evoking his favorite poets and his readings
S. n.|s. l. • (Paris) 14 Décembre 1901|14.50 x 9.50 cm|une page
Autograph note signed by Francis Viélé-Griffin (13 lines in black ink from his Parisian residence on Quai de Passy) addressed to Edouard Ducoté, poet, bibliophile and director of the review l'Ermitage since 1895.
The note is written on cardboard bristol paper.
He lists his favorite poets while ironically commenting, in a slightly condescending manner, on his less "noble" reading: "... I therefore reread by preference Vigny, Lamartine, Verlaine and Laforgue; but I do not forbid myself the bad poets of whom I am particularly fond..." while disdaining and castigating: "... only the mediocre ones, those of the Parnasse, are excluded from my library..."
Close friend of Stéphane Mallarmé, friend of André Gide, Paul Valéry, Francis Jammes, Emile Verhaeren, Francis Viélé-Griffin is an American symbolist poet writing in French. He becomes, with Gustave Kahn, one of the principal theorists of free verse.
€180
Victor SCHOELCHER
Lettre autographe signée à Alfred Boucher-Cadart
12 mars 1879|10.20 x 13.30 cm|une page sur un bifeuillet et une enveloppe
Autograph letter signed by Victor Schoelcher, one page written in black ink on a bifolium of blue paper bearing the monogram and address of the politician, addressed to minister Alfred Boucher-Cadart, director of the general security service at the Ministry of the Interior. The envelope containing this letter has been pasted onto the second leaf. Central fold inherent to the mailing.
"There is nothing more to be done for the worker Cauchare. He was forced to serve his 10 days in prison while the Ministry of Justice was changing his sentence. I nonetheless thank you for your goodwill toward the poor man and I ask you to accept the assurance of my highest consideration."
€800
Théodore de BANVILLE
Lettre autographe signée à un confrère écrivain afin d'entretenir la mémoire du poète Philoxène Boyer en faisant publier l'une de ses oeuvres
S. n.|s. l. • (Paris) 15 Décembre 1867|13.50 x 21 cm|deux pages et demi
Autograph letter dated and signed by Théodore de Banville (26 lines in black ink from Paris) concerning the publication of a work by his friend the poet Philoxène Boyer recently deceased.
Fold marks inherent to mailing.
Théodore de Banville sends his correspondent a list of Philoxène Boyer's works: "... this list doesn't look like much, and seems a rather heterogeneous composition..." and hopes that his friend and colleague will be influential enough to have one of the deceased poet's works published: "...these are seriously beautiful pages, which do not even lack unity, as it is given to them by the poet's thought..."

€300
Denis MARION
La méthode intellectuelle d'Edgar Poe
Les Editions de Minuit|Paris 1952|12 x 18.50 cm|broché
First edition in volume, one of 30 numbered copies, the only deluxe copies with a few hors commerce copies.
Rare and fine copy.

€150
Jean-Claude PIGUET
Les gitans
Les Editions de Minuit|Paris 1954|12 x 19 cm|broché
First edition, one of 20 numbered copies on alfama paper, the only deluxe copies.
Two small light stains on the first cover.
Rare and handsome copy

€250
Lucciola KOECHLIN
L'agenda
Les Editions de Minuit|Paris 1962|10.50 x 19 cm|broché
First edition, one of 17 numbered copies on pure laid paper, deluxe copy.
Small light spots of no consequence on the back cover.
Rare and handsome copy.
€150
François COPPÉE
"... c'est décidément un vieil homme, et un vieux malade qui vous prie d'agréer mes respectueuses et très vives sympathies.."
Autograph letter signed to Marthe Daudet
S. n.|s. l. • (Paris) s. d. [circa 1905]|11.50 x 18 cm|une page
Autograph letter dated and signed by François Coppée (17 lines in black ink) to Marthe Daudet, wife of his young friend Léon.
Fold marks inherent to the mailing.
François Coppée apologizes for not being able to see his correspondent who had come to visit him and gladly accepts her invitation to dine soon: "... I have great desire to accept although I spend my time declining invitations, for I continue to be in poor health..."

€150
Guy DES CARS
"... Depuis longtemps fidèle lecteur de l'Action Française, je serais très désireux que votre journal parle d'un ouvrage Français, écrit par un Français...".."
Autograph letter, dated and signed, asking Léon Daudet to write an article about his first book "The Officer Without a Name"
S. n.|Cannes 28 Avril 1941|21 x 27 cm|une page et demi
Autograph letter dated and signed by Guy Des Cars (38 lines in black ink from the Hotel Le Gray d'Albion in Cannes) to Léon Daudet concerning the publication of his first work "L'officier sans nom".
Traces of folding inherent to postal delivery, two annotations in blue and red pencil probably in Léon Daudet's hand.
Guy Des Cars asks Léon Daudet, journalist for the monarchist and Vichy daily Action Française, to write an article reviewing his first work "L'officier sans nom": "... peut-être le premier paru en zone libre sur la guerre..." ["... perhaps the first published in the free zone about the war..."]
In order to encourage the writing of the much-hoped-for review, Guy Des Cars enumerates and brandishes his patriotic credentials by evoking his war record and displaying his nationalism: "... Depuis longtemps fidèle lecteur de l'Action Française, je serais très désireux que votre journal parle d'un ouvrage Français, écrit par un Français..." ["... A long-time faithful reader of Action Française, I would be very eager for your newspaper to speak of a French work, written by a Frenchman..."]
On the advice of Jean Ajalbert and Francis Carco, Guy Des Cars takes the liberty of soliciting this helping hand from the influential political journalist, his article to coincide with the distribution of the work: "... à ce moment mon livre sera en vente un peu partout..." ["... at that time my book will be on sale almost everywhere..."]
The father of "L'officier sans nom" hopes that Léon Daudet will not hold his impertinent request too much against him and that he will receive it favorably: "... j'ose espérer que mon premier "enfant" ne vous décevra pas trop..." ["... I dare hope that my first 'child' will not disappoint you too much..."]

€180
Gustave CHARPENTIER
Lettre autographe datée et signée à propos d'une solennité musicale devant être jouée après l'inauguration d'un monument consacré à Ludwig van Beethoven
S. n.|s. l. • (Paris) Juillet 1927|11.50 x 18 cm|une page
Autograph letter dated and signed by Gustave Charpentier (14 lines in black ink) regarding musical pieces to be performed after the inauguration of a monument commemorating Ludwig van Beethoven
Traces of folding inherent to postal delivery, a filing number in blue felt-tip pen in the lower right corner of the letter.
The composer seeks: "... pour des sonneries de trompettes ou de cors... des thèmes, bien caractéristiques, assez courts, pris dans les oeuvres du maître..." ["... for trumpet or horn fanfares... themes, quite characteristic, fairly short, taken from the master's works..."], for this he asks for help from a composer friend: "... pourrais-tu faire un voyage dans ta mémoire et m'envoyer quelques tuyaux ?" ["... could you take a journey through your memory and send me some tips?"]

€150
Gustave EIFFEL, WALERY
Portrait photographique dédicacé de Gustave Eiffel
Original signed photograph of Gustave Eiffel
London 1889|28.70 x 38.40 cm|une photographie encollée sur carton
London 1889, Mount: 28,7x38,4cm - photograph : 18,3x27,4cm, a photograph mounted.

Rare original portrait of Gustave Eiffel, carbon print mounted with the stamp of the Walery studio on mount.
Signed and inscribed to lower right corner of mount: "Au Camarade Richard Souvenir du banquet du 22 Nbre [18]89 G. Eiffel" (To fellow comrade Richard Souvenir of the banquet from 22 November [18]89 G. Eiffel)
This striking portrait of the engeneering legend was shot in the year of the tower's inauguration. Built on the occasion of the Paris Universal Exhibition, it was the tallest man-made structure at the time, towering 300 meters over the Parisian landscape. Eiffel is also responsible for designing the iron structure of the Statue of Liberty.
Another print of this portrait is kept at the National Portrait Gallery, London.
€3,800
Edouard BLED
Mes écoles
Robert Laffont|Paris 1977|15.50 x 24 cm|broché
The first edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Light foxing of no consequence affecting the bottom edges.
Rare and handsome signed autograph inscription from Edouard Bled to Jean Gardyn: "cette histoire d'une famille semblable à beaucoup d'autres tant nos vies suivent les mêmes chemins. Ces évocations où un passé encore proche côtoie un aujourd'hui déja enfui..." ["this story of a family similar to many others as our lives follow the same paths. These evocations where a still recent past mingles with a today already fled..."]
Edouard Bled is a union activist and schoolteacher author of the very famous spelling textbooks that shaped our studies.
€150
Charles-Henri HIRSCH
Eva Tumarche, baronne
Flammarion|Paris 1923|13.50 x 19.50 cm|relié
First edition, one of 10 numbered copies on Holland paper, the only deluxe copies.
Half red morocco binding with corners, spine with five raised bands slightly browned, one band with a small scratch, gilt date at foot, gilt fillet frame on marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, covers and spine preserved, top edge gilt retaining deckled edges, elegant unsigned binding.
Handsome copy attractively bound.
€150
Francis JAMMES
Monsieur le curé d'Ozeron
Mercure de France|Paris 1918|11.50 x 18.50 cm|relié
First edition printed on ordinary paper.
Full almond-green cloth binding, smooth spine, green shagreen title-label, marbled paper endpapers and pastedowns, modest binding.
Precious signed autograph inscription by Francis Jammes: "ALéon Daudet, à madame Léon Daudet bien cordial hommage. FJammes." ["To Léon Daudet, to Madame Léon Daudet with warm regards. F. Jammes."]
€120
Bruno GAY-LUSSAC
Mécanique sans repos
Gallimard|Paris 1987|11.50 x 21 cm|broché
First edition, one of 20 numbered copies on pure rag vellum from Rives, the only deluxe copies.
Two bookplates pasted on an endpaper.
Handsome copy.

€100
Alain BOSQUET
Le livre du doute et de la grâce
Gallimard|Paris 1977|15 x 22 cm|broché
First edition, one of 20 numbered copies on Arches vellum, the only deluxe copies.
Very handsome copy.
Two bookplates pasted on the first endpaper.
Autograph inscription signed by Alain Bosquet to bibliophile Jacques Bredèche: "... que je remercie d'amier les beaux livres et de me croire digne de sa collection..." ["... whom I thank for loving beautiful books and for believing me worthy of his collection..."]
€100
Alain BOSQUET
Sonnets pour une fin de siècle
Gallimard|Paris 1980|15 x 22 cm|broché
First edition, one of 20 numbered copies on Arches vellum, the only deluxe copies.
A very fine copy.
Two bookplates pasted on the first endpaper.
Autograph inscription signed by Alain Bosquet to bibliophile Jacques Bredèche: "... que je remercie chaleureusement de collectionner les "grands papiers"..." ["... whom I warmly thank for collecting the 'deluxe copies'..."]
€100
Taylor CALDWELL
A pillar of iron
Doubleday & Company|New York 1965|15 x 22 cm|relié
First edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Full orange morocco binding, smooth spine, endpapers and pastedowns of wood-grain paper, framed with an orange morocco fillet on the pastedowns, all edges gilt, binding signed Lucie Weill.
A very fine copy in perfect condition.
€150
Pierre BENOIT
Aïno
Albin Michel|Paris 1948|12 x 19 cm|broché
First edition, one of the Service de Presse (advance) copies.
Fine signed autograph inscription from Pierre Benoit to François Daudet and his family: "A François Daudet, à une famille dont je serai toujours non seulement l'ami, mais l'obligé plein de reconnaissance. Très fidèlement Pierre Benoit" ["To François Daudet, to a family of whom I will always be not only the friend, but the obliged one full of gratitude. Very faithfully Pierre Benoit"].
€80
Louis DIMIER
L'appel des intellectuels allemands
Nouvelle librairie nationale|Paris 1914|12 x 18.50 cm|broché
First edition printed on ordinary paper.
A small lack to the upper right corner of the first cover, three light tears to the spine, endpapers entirely sunned.
Precious signed autograph inscription from Louis Dimier to Léon Daudet.
€100
Francis VIELÉ-GRIFFIN
"...j'en ai plusieurs que je veux réserver pour l'épreuve d'une lecture sévère, avant de les livrer à la publicité"
Autograph letter dated and signed addressed to Edouard Ducoté
S. n.|Nazelles 4 Septembre 1896|13 x 20.50 cm|une page
Autograph letter signed by Francis Viélé-Griffin (23 lines in violet ink from his property in Nazelles in Indre-et-Loire) addressed to Edouard Ducoté, poet, bibliophile and editor of the review l'Ermitage since 1895.
Fold mark inherent to mailing.
A perfectionist, Francis Viélé-Griffin postpones sending a poem he had promised to the review l'Ermitage, not yet judging it completely accomplished: "... ce scrupule est seul cause de mon retard et vous me le pardonnerez aisément..." ["this scruple alone causes my delay and you will easily forgive me..."]
He finds the quality of the previous issue of the review excellent and particularly praises the verses of his colleague Stuart Merrill: "... les vers de Merrill sont délicieux, n'est-ce pas ? " ["Merrill's verses are delightful, aren't they?"] and congratulates Edouard Ducoté.
Intimate of Stéphane Mallarmé, friend of André Gide, Paul Valéry, Francis Jammes, Emile Verhaeren, Francis Viélé-Griffin is an American symbolist poet writing in French. He becomes, with Gustave Kahn, one of the principal theorists of free verse.
€150
Francis VIELÉ-GRIFFIN
"...mais je reste songeur en apprenant qu'ils vous ont paru pires que ceux de Retté..."
Autograph letter, dated and signed, addressed to Edouard Ducoté about a poem that he recommended to him for his magazine without first reading it
S. n.|s. l. • (Paris) 31 Mai 1900|13 x 20.50 cm|une page
Autograph letter signed by Francis Viélé-Griffin (15 lines in violet ink from his Parisian residence) addressed to Edouard Ducoté, poet, bibliophile and editor of the review l'Ermitage since 1895.
Fold mark inherent to mailing.
To please the poetess Julia Daudet, Francis Viélé-Griffin took the liberty of imposing verses on Edouard Ducoté for his review: "... je vous ai recommandé ces vers pour complaire à un souhait de madame Daudet, je n'en ai pas pris connaissance ; mais reste songeur..." ["I recommended these verses to you to comply with a wish of Madame Daudet, I have not read them; but remain thoughtful..."] which the editor of l'Ermitage finds poor.
Intimate of Stéphane Mallarmé, friend of André Gide, Paul Valéry, Francis Jammes, Emile Verhaeren, Francis Viélé-Griffin is an American symbolist poet writing in French. He becomes, with Gustave Kahn, one of the principal theorists of free verse.
€150
Francis VIELÉ-GRIFFIN
"... je ne comprends pas l'exclusivisme du Mercure, il m'a étonné et peiné.."
Autograph letter dated and signed addressed to Edouard Ducoté which was refused by the Mercure de France
S. n.|s. l. • (Paris) 31 Décembre 1896|13 x 20 cm|une page et demie
Signed autograph letter by Francis Viélé-Griffin (32 lines in purple ink from his Parisian home) addressed to Edouard Ducoté, poet, bibliophile and director of the review l'Ermitage since 1895.
Fold mark inherent to postal handling, pen annotations on verso of fourth leaf.
Francis Viélé-Griffin thanks his fellow poet Edouard Ducoté who dedicated his future collection Fables to him and apologizes for the intransigence of Mercure de France which only wants to publish authors and poets stamped Mercure de France: "... je ne comprends pas l'exclusivisme du Mercure, il m'a étonné et peiné.." ["... I don't understand the exclusivism of Mercure, it surprised and saddened me.."]
He assures him that he has no influence within the review and publishing house directed by Alfred Valette because he takes care of none of the administrative formalities: "... je n'ai que peu assisté, jusqu'à présent, aux séances du comité où mon influence, au reste, est nulle." ["... I have attended committee meetings little, until now, where my influence, moreover, is nil."]
As a good friend, Francis Viélé-Griffin wishes to temper Edouard Ducoté's disappointment at not being published by Mercure: "Mais n'êtes vous pas aussi bien chez Perrin ? " ["But aren't you just as well off at Perrin's?"] and invites him to visit soon to: "... causer de vos projets d'art..." ["... discuss your artistic projects..."]
Intimate friend of Stéphane Mallarmé, friend of André Gide, Paul Valéry, Francis Jammes, Emile Verhaeren, Francis Viélé-Griffin is an American symbolist poet writing in French. He became, with Gustave Kahn, one of the principal theorists of free verse.
€180
Pierre MAC ORLAN
Ensemble de trois lettres manuscrites signées, d'un jeu d'épreuves corrigées et d'un tapuscrit corrigé de Pierre Mac Orlan pour sa préface à Embruns de son ami le poète artésien Roger Valuet
S. n.|Saint-Cyr-sur-Morin 27 Septembre au 31 Octobre 1949|21 x 27 cm|10 feuillets
Set of three dated and signed autograph letters by Pierre Mac Orlan (10 lines in blue ink each), a set of corrected proofs and a corrected typescript concerning the preface he wrote for the poetry collection Embruns by his young friend and protégé Roger Valuet.
Fold marks inherent to postal handling.
We include, on soft yellow paper, the three-page typescript with about ten corrections and modifications in turquoise felt-tip pen by Pierre Mac Orlan.
We also include a set of printed proofs of 5 leaves also enriched with about ten corrections and modifications in Pierre Mac Orlan's hand.
A native of Arras, Roger Valuet is a popular writer who signed, under the pseudonym Roger Vilard, numerous detective and espionage novels. At the beginning of his career, he was helped by Pierre Mac Orlan who wrote the preface to his first collection of poems.

€600
Pierre MAC ORLAN
Lettre autographe datée et signée au jeune poète artésien Roger Valuet à propos de l'adaptation au cinéma de son ouvrage Marguerite de la nuit
S. n.|Saint-Cyr-sur-Morin 4 Mai 1955|21 x 27 cm|une feuille
Autograph letter dated and signed by Pierre Mac Orlan (13 lines in turquoise ink) to his young friend the beginning poet Roger Valuet.
Fold marks inherent to postal handling, a small tear at the head of the letter at the letterhead.
Pierre Mac Orlan must decline the presidency of a meeting to which Pierre Nord and Roger Valuet had invited him because he will be detained in Honfleur, where scenes from one of his novels will be filmed, probably Marguerite de la nuit, adapted for cinema: "Il s'agit d'un film inspiré d'un de mes livres et il faut que je sois là entre le 5 et le 9 juin pour participer à ce travail..." ["It is a film inspired by one of my books and I must be there between June 5th and 9th to participate in this work..."]
The film Marguerite de la nuit would be directed by Claude Autant-Lara with, in the main roles, Michèle Morgan and Yves Montand.
Originally from Arras, Roger Valuet is a popular writer who signed, under the pseudonym Roger Vilard, numerous detective and espionage novels. At the beginning of his career, he was helped by Pierre Mac Orlan who wrote the preface for his first collection of poems.

€180
Pierre MAC ORLAN
"... mais dans 2 mois j'aurai 70 ans, je ne le regrette pas car c'est, en quelque sorte, un succès..."
Humorous autograph letter dated and signed to the young artesian poet Roger Valuet about his upcoming 70th birthday
S. n.|Saint-Cyr-sur-Morin 2 Janvier 1952|13.50 x 21 cm|une feuille
Autograph letter dated and signed by Pierre Mac Orlan (15 lines in black ink) to his young friend the poet Roger Valuet.
Fold marks inherent to postal handling.
Pierre Mac Orlan thanks Roger Valuet for his faithful friendship and the small gifts he sends him.
He would like to visit his friends from Artois more often but his advanced age commands him not to tire himself too much with travel, an inconvenience he nonetheless accepts while ending his missive with this humorous flourish: "... mais dans 2 mois j'aurai 70 ans, je ne le regrette pas car c'est, en quelque sorte, un succès..." ["... but in 2 months I will be 70 years old, I don't regret it because it is, in some way, a success..."]
Originally from Arras, Roger Valuet is a popular writer who signed, under the pseudonym Roger Vilard, numerous detective and espionage novels. At the beginning of his career, he was helped by Pierre Mac Orlan who wrote the preface for his first collection of poems.

€150
Betty GRABLE
Photographie dédicacée de Betty Grable, la première pin-up de l'histoire du music-hall
S. n.|s. l. s. d. [circa 1950]|12.50 x 18 cm|une feuille
Reproduction of a photographic portrait showing Betty Grable, standing, in pin-up attire, hands crossed behind her neck, her right leg folded over the left.
Autograph inscription signed by Betty Grable: "Hello, Eileen, greetings from Betty."
The first pin-up girl in history, Betty Grable was one of the great stars of musical comedies, especially those created by Fox, from before and after the war to the point of accompanying American G.I.s during the Second World War, her legs being insured by Lloyd's for one million dollars. The arrival, in the early 1950s, of Marilyn Monroe, Fox's new star, would eclipse the aura that Betty Grable had with the American public.
€120
François COPPÉE
Lettre autographe signée au jeune Léon Daudet lui donnant rendez-vous
S. n.|s. l. • (Paris) s. d. [circa 1895]|11.50 x 17.50 cm|une feuille
Autograph letter signed by François Coppée (8 lines in black ink) to his young friend Léon Daudet.
Fold marks inherent to postal handling, a doodle in blue pencil has been traced on the verso of the letter.
François Coppée invites his dear Léon Daudet to come visit him, setting a date and time: "... j'aurai fini mon article et je serai tout à vous." ["... I will have finished my article and will be entirely at your disposal."]

€120
François COPPÉE
"... et je pense tendrement à la mémoire de mon cher Alphonse Daudet..."
Autograph letter, dated and signed, to his friend Léon Daudet about the death of his father Alphonse a few days earlier
S. n.|s. l. • (Paris) 3 Janvier 1898|11.50 x 18 cm|une feuille
Autograph letter dated and signed by François Coppée (12 lines in black ink) to his friend Léon Daudet.
Fold marks inherent to mailing.
François Coppée shows himself touched by the last letter that Léon Daudet addressed to him and invites him to his home: "... Come whenever you wish... so that we can chat quietly."
He shares the grief and sadness of the Daudet family after the death (on December 17, 1897) of Alphonse Daudet, his friend: "... and I think tenderly of the memory of my dear Alphonse Daudet..."

€150
François COPPÉE
"... Excusez le vieux monsieur qui ne passe plus ni soirées ni se couche après minuit..."
Autograph letter dated and signed to Marthe Daudet refusing his invitation to participate in the New Year's Eve party on December 25th
S. n.|s. l. • (Paris) 14 Décembre 1903|11.50 x 18 cm|une feuille
Autograph letter dated and signed by François Coppée (13 lines in black ink) to his friend Marthe Daudet, wife of Léon, who invited him to join them for Christmas Eve dinner on December 25, 1903.
Fold marks inherent to mailing.
François Coppée will not be joining them, his precarious health forbidding any late social engagements, preferring an earlier hour for dining: "... of course, I will go and sit at the table of my young and dear friend Léon Daudet and his charming wife with great pleasure...", "... Excuse the old gentleman who no longer spends evenings out or goes to bed after midnight..."

€150
Boris VIAN
Ensemble complet du manuscrit et du tapuscrit de la chanson de Boris Vian intitulée "Westminster ballade"
S. n.|s. l. s. d. [entre 1950 et 1954]|21 x 27 cm|2 feuillets
Complete set of the manuscript and working typescript by Boris Vian, genesis of the song "Westminster ballade".
- one perforated sheet written by hand in ink by Boris Vian. Numerous deletions and corrections. Some marginal lacks.
- one perforated sheet typed on machine, fair copy of the manuscript.
This song was never performed.
Ah, Westminster
Fol inventeur
Aurais-tu peur
De compter jusqu'à douze ?
Provenance: Fondation Boris Vian.
€1,200
Reynaldo HAHN
"... je vais relire avec dévotion ces pages qui m'ont déjà ému..."
Autograph letter signed to Léon Daudet about the biography that the latter wrote about his father Alphonse Daudet
S. n.|s. l. • (Paris) s. d. [1898]|10 x 15.50 cm|une feuille
Autograph letter signed by Reynaldo Hahn, dandy, composer and great love of Marcel Proust (22 lines in black ink) regarding the biography that Léon Daudet devoted to his father Alphonse in 1898.
Trace of fold inherent to mailing.
Reynaldo Hahn congratulates Léon Daudet for the rational pertinence and clarity of the biography: "... où l'on retrouve tout ce qui était définissable et analysable en Alphonse Daudet..." ["... where one finds all that was definable and analyzable in Alphonse Daudet..."] while regretting nonetheless that he had only imperfectly captured the author of Lettres de mon moulin : " ... ce que vous n'avez pu fixer c'est le mystère brûlant et doux qui émanait de lui, et qui s'est évanoui à tout jamais..." ["... what you could not capture is the burning and sweet mystery that emanated from him, and which has vanished forever..."]
In order to temper this criticism, he wishes to warmly thank Léon Daudet for having evoked in the work his friendship with Alphonse Daudet: "... je suis si fier de l'affection qu'il me témoignait..." ["... I am so proud of the affection he showed me..."]

€300
Boris VIAN
Ensemble complet du manuscrit et du tapuscrit de la chanson de Boris Vian intitulée "Un pauvre petit garçon"
S. n.|s. l. s. d. [entre 1950 et 1954]|21 x 27 cm|3 feuillets
Complete set of Boris Vian's working manuscript and typescript, genesis of the song "Un pauvre petit garçon".
- two perforated leaves handwritten in ink by Boris Vian.
- one perforated leaf typed, fair copy of the manuscript.
This profoundly anticlerical song was never performed.

Dans sa triste chambre
Le petit s'endort
Il gèle à pierre fendre
Le froid le dévore

On l'a trouvé dans son lit
Mort dans un sourire
Et Jésus là-haut s'est dit
Ca m'ôte un souci
["In his sad room / The little one falls asleep / It's freezing hard / The cold devours him // They found him in his bed / Dead with a smile / And Jesus up there said to himself / That's one less worry for me"]

Provenance: Fondation Boris Vian.
€1,800
Boris VIAN
Ensemble complet du manuscrit et du tapuscrit de la chanson de Boris Vian intitulée "Quand fleurit le marronnier du square"
S. n.|s. l. s. d. [entre 1954 et 1959]|21 x 27 cm|2 feuillets
Complete set of Boris Vian's working manuscript and typescript, genesis of the song "Quand fleurit le marronnier du square".
- one perforated leaf handwritten in pencil and ink by Boris Vian.
- one perforated leaf typed, fair copy of the manuscript.
This song was never performed.

Quand fleurit le marronnier du square
Autour de nous, le printemps se prépare
De ses doigts verts, il bat le jeu
Donnant aux deux amoureux
Un as de coeur, la carte du bonheur
["When the chestnut tree blooms in the square / Around us, spring is preparing / With its green fingers, it plays the game / Giving to the two lovers / An ace of hearts, the card of happiness"]

Provenance: Fondation Boris Vian.
€1,200
Boris VIAN
Ensemble complet du manuscrit et du tapuscrit de la chanson de Boris Vian intitulée "La première fois"
S. n.|s. l. s. d. [entre 1950 et 1954]|21 x 27 cm|2 feuillets
Complete set of Boris Vian's manuscript and working typescript, genesis of the song "La première fois".
- one perforated leaf handwritten in ink by Boris Vian. One deletion and correction in pencil.
- one perforated leaf typed by machine, clean copy of the manuscript.
This song, narrating the composer's first encounter with a lady, was never performed.

La première fois, sur ton tailleur bleu
Un grand foulard vert !
["The first time, on your blue suit
A big green scarf!"]

Fausse note
["False note"]

La seconde fois, j'ai baisé ta main
["The second time, I kissed your hand"]

Tu sentais l'oignon
["You smelled of onion"]

Fausse note
["False note"]

Provenance: Boris Vian Foundation.
€1,200
Vernon Sullivan is dead, long live Vernon Sinclair!
Vernon Sullivan is dead, long live Vernon Sinclair!
Boris VIAN
Ensemble complet du manuscrit et du tapuscrit de la chanson de Boris Vian intitulée "Pour bercer ma peine" rédigée pour son examen d'admission à la SACEM
S. n.|s. l. 6 janvier 1951|divers|6 feuillets
Complete set of Boris Vian's manuscript and working typescript, genesis of the song "Pour bercer ma peine".
- one leaf and two perforated slips handwritten in ink by Boris Vian. Numerous deletions.
- One leaf folded in two written in ink in Boris Vian's hand as well, containing the title of the song and the following mentions: "6.1.51 - Boris Vian 3 rue D'Aumale St Tropez Var"
- two perforated leaves typed by machine, clean copy of the manuscript.
The music for this text was composed by Louis Bessières and the song was performed by Magali Noël.

"On January 6, 1951, Boris Vian takes the obligatory admission examination to the Sacem on the imposed theme "Pour bercer ma peine" ["To cradle my sorrow"]. His quality as a recognized author will henceforth allow him to receive author's rights. Let us recall that in 1951, he has already published eight novels: Vercoquin et le Plancton, L'Ecume des Jours, J'irai cracher sur vos tombes, Les Morts ont tous la même peau, Et on tuera tous les affreux, Elles se rendent pas compte, L'Automne à Pékin, L'Herbe rouge, a collection of short stories Les Fourmis, and a poetry collection Cantilènes en gelée, presented a play L'Equarrissage pour tous, made translations (Le Grand Sommeil, La Dame du lac...), written articles, and all this has brought him very little money because his books sell poorly, except for the too famous J'irai cracher sur vos tombes. Boris Vian must move on to something more lucrative if possible. One can say that he applies himself to this immediately by launching into song." (Oeuvres de Boris Vian, Volume 11)

In Boris Vian's professional file at SACEM, one reads the pseudonym he chose for himself: Vernon Sinclair...

The SACEM entrance examination was established in 1878 and would last until 1991. Aspiring members - which notably gave the right to a pension - had one hour to one and a half hours to compose a song on an imposed theme. The examination center at 10 rue Chaptal thus saw the greatest names of French song pass through and the most decadent themes: Bourvil had to compose, in 1944, on the theme "Totor le tatoué" while Georges Brassens received the title "Les étrennes de mon amie" in 1942.
One must believe that Boris Vian was received by an examiner with little imagination and the song he wrote during his examination is of rare melancholy:

Je ne sais pourquoi l'on persiste
A ressasser tous ses chagrins
Pourquoi lorsque l'on est trop triste
On veut prendre le dernier train
["I don't know why one persists
In dwelling on all one's sorrows
Why when one is too sad
One wants to take the last train"]

Provenance: Boris Vian Foundation.
€2,500
Reynaldo HAHN
"... toute la part profonde que je prends à votre chagrin et combien j'ai partagé vos émotions douloureuses..."
Autograph letter signed to Mrs. Julia Daudet about the death of her grandson Philippe at the age of 14
S. n.|s. l. • (Paris) 1923|10 x 18 cm|une feuille
Autograph letter signed by Reynaldo Hahn, dandy, composer and great love of Marcel Proust (20 lines in blue ink) addressed to Julia Daudet concerning the tragic death of her grandson Philippe who committed suicide at the age of 14; his father, Léon Daudet, accused anarchist circles or the police of the Third Republic of having disguised this "crime" as suicide.
Fold marks inherent to postal dispatch.
Reynaldo Hahn apologizes for not being as available as he would like for his friends and regrets having missed his correspondent at her home: "... à aller vous dire tout ce que je ressens si vivement..." ["to come tell you all that I feel so keenly..."] but will renew his attempt soon: "je tâcherai d'être plus heureux samedi après-midi..." ["I will try to be more fortunate Saturday afternoon..."]
Reynaldo Hahn wishes to show, during the trials the family is going through, all his attachment to them and his communion of spirit: "... toute la part profonde que je prends à votre chagrin et combien j'ai partagé vos émotions douloureuses..." ["all the deep part I take in your grief and how much I have shared your painful emotions..."]

€300
Xavier de HAUTECLOCQUE
"... ce que vous dites de l'effroyable danger qui nous menace, combien de fois ai-je essayé de le faire comprendre à des parlementaires soit-disant "patriotes", "nationaux"..."
Autograph letter signed to Léon Daudet about the favorable review of his work denouncing the perils of the rise of the Third Reich
S. n.|Berlin s. d. [circa 1934]|13 x 18 cm|trois pages
Autograph letter signed by Xavier de Hauteclocque (39 lines in black ink on Continental Hotel Berlin letterhead) written from Berlin and addressed to Léon Daudet thanking him for: "... l'éloge que vous avez eu la bonté de consacrer encore à mon bouquin sur l'hitlérisme..." ["the praise you were kind enough to devote once again to my book on Hitlerism"] which he had published in the monarchist and Germanophobic daily Action Française.
Although having sounded the alarm concerning the grave dangers posed to Europe by the Nazi party's rise to power, Xavier de Hauteclocque despairs of being heard even by supposedly nationalist or patriotic circles: "... hélas ! monsieur, ces crétins chamarrés de tricolore non seulement ne m'ont pas cru, mais j'avais l'impression terrible qu'ils ne m'entendaient même pas..." ["alas! sir, these cretins bedecked in tricolor not only did not believe me, but I had the terrible impression that they did not even hear me..."], "les rebuffades désespérantes que j'ai essuyées de la part de gens en qui trop de nos malheureux concitoyens vient des 'remparts de la Patrie'..." ["the despairing rebuffs I suffered from people in whom too many of our unfortunate fellow citizens see the 'ramparts of the Fatherland'..."]
It is for this reason that he praises the clairvoyance of the Action Française newspaper and more particularly Léon Daudet's articles regarding the question of Nazi Germany: "... c'est vous qui nous ragaillardissez, nous, les journalistes qui allons chercher des renseignements authentiques dans le camp d'en face..." ["it is you who reinvigorate us, we journalists who go to seek authentic information in the opposing camp..."]
Fold marks inherent to postal dispatch.
Decorated with the Croix de Guerre in 1914-1918 (at 18 he had volunteered early on July 15, 1915 to join the 3rd Hussar Regiment at Saumur, his father and brother having fallen in battle in 1914), first cousin of Marshal Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, Xavier de Hauteclocque was a military man, journalist and writer who ceaselessly denounced vigorously, through his writings and reportage, the dangers of Adolf Hitler and his party's seizure of power in Germany. In 1935 in Paris, he died poisoned by the Nazi regime whose works such as La Tragédie brune, À l'Ombre de la Croix Gammée or Nuit sur l'Allemagne disturbed them.
€400
By one of the first French to denounce the danger of Nazism
By one of the first French to denounce the danger of Nazism
Xavier de HAUTECLOCQUE
"... si l'on trouve peu d'encouragements quand on veut dire aux Français la vérité sur l'Allemagne, je puis dire que j'ai dérogé, grâce à vous, à cette règle..."
Autograph letter signed to Léon Daudet about the favorable review of his work denouncing the perils of the rise of the Third Reich
S. n.|Yvré-l'Évêque (Sarthe) 15 Octobre 1933|13.50 x 18 cm|deux pages
Autograph letter signed by Xavier de Hauteclocque (23 lines in black ink from the camp of Auvours in Sarthe where he is a reserve officer) addressed to Léon Daudet thanking him for his laudatory article regarding his latest work: "... si l'on trouve peu d'encouragements quand on veut dire aux Français la vérité sur l'Allemagne, je puis dire que j'ai dérogé, grâce à vous, à cette règle..." ["...if one finds little encouragement when one wants to tell the French the truth about Germany, I can say that I have made an exception, thanks to you, to this rule..."]
Xavier de Hauteclocque is worried about the blindness of his fellow citizens although he warns them of the Hitlerian threat, only Action Française and its daily newspaper playing the salutary role of Geese of the Capitol far from: "...la critique 'officielle' et conformiste..." ["...the 'official' and conformist criticism..."]
Fold mark inherent to being placed in an envelope.
Decorated with the war cross in 1914-1918 (at 18 he had volunteered early on July 15th, 1915 to join the 3rd regiment of hussars at Saumur, his father and brother having fallen on the field of honor in 1914), first cousin of Marshal Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, Xavier de Hauteclocque is a military man, journalist and writer who never ceased to vigorously denounce, through his writings and reports, the dangers of Adolf Hitler and his party taking power in Germany. In 1935 in Paris, he died poisoned by the Nazi regime that his works such as La Tragédie brune, À l'Ombre de la Croix Gammée or Nuit sur l'Allemagne disturbed.
€350

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