Gutenberg's Bible was preceded by several ephemera printed with movable type which the legendary B42 always claimed to be the first to use. No matter. The true origin may in fact be Buddhist, since in 1377 the Jikji was already being printed with a similar method. Can one consider fries to be Belgian? What does pasta owe to the Arab world? Isn't the croissant a descendant of the Austrian kipferl? The very idea of champagne may have been born in the mind of an Englishman, Christopher Merret! "First" is decidedly fiction, but to open this new season, Le Feu Follet is pleased to offer you the very first look at its brand-new selection: "Once Upon a First Time…"

Joyful Julyers and august Augustans, globe-trotters or shoreline saunterers – however you travel, so long as you carry your books. Ride the waves of our vast, eloquent pages – peopled with valiant Miserables, excellent Rougons, and castaway Fridays…

Every collector of modern books knows this terrible and delightful phrase. An ominous prelude announcing just how arduous the quest for the most desirable copy will be.