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“There were printed of this first edition…”
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.
Unique author’s copies, printed on coloured-paper for contributors, name copies on japon nacré, copies on chine with exceptionally added material…
Publishers, decidedly, have a mind of their own: and we certainly do not mind the chase for the most limited issues, despite and perhaps because of their ever-dwindling numbers.
There can be no debate on the following copies’ exceptional rarity: one of the 75 copies of Madame Bovary on papier fort, one of the 100 (or more) copies on alfa of Journey to the End of the Night, one of the 200 copies of Bel-Ami, one of the 400 press copies of The Stranger, one of the 750 copies of The Red and the Black, or, of course, one of the (supposed) 800 uncensored copies of The Flowers of Evil. The discerning collector is not easily deceived by their seemingly substantial print runs. For books born under a lucky star, value does not wait upon the (reduced) number of deluxe, or grands papiers copies.
And yet, what collector does not feel a surge of bibliophilic pride in owning a deluxe first edition issued in an infinitesimal number of copies?
The mischievous Feu Follet invites you to count down the most limited deluxe issues, number by number, from the elusive 30 copies to the impossible unique copy. 30, 29, 28, 27… treat yourself to a private encounter with the rarest treasures in the world of book collecting!
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INVESTIGATION. A political manifesto signed "Papapa" on a copy from the most limited issue, presented to Jeanne et Georges.
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"We called him Papapa."
After the passing of his two sons,
Victor Hugo doubly assumes the mantle of father, or papa - although perhaps this nickname defines him as a non-father (pas-papa), even more than a father, the one who became for generations of readers:
a Grand Father ?
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"We called him Papapa."
After the passing of his two sons,
Victor Hugo doubly assumes the mantle of father, or papa - although perhaps this nickname defines him as a non-father (pas-papa), even more than a father, the one who became for generations of readers:
a Grand Father ?
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FOCUS. Ania Staritsky, "The Spark of an Eye".
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"And to dig with him in the cemetery,
Protected by the ring of invisibility,
Beneath the blessing of decorated eggs,
Of ears of wheat and red vigil lamps,
A little grave among the gravel of the path,
So that he may fall asleep there without ever stopping,
Refreshing Ania’s memory."
Michel Butor, Philtre pour Ania, 1983
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"And to dig with him in the cemetery,
Protected by the ring of invisibility,
Beneath the blessing of decorated eggs,
Of ears of wheat and red vigil lamps,
A little grave among the gravel of the path,
So that he may fall asleep there without ever stopping,
Refreshing Ania’s memory."
Michel Butor, Philtre pour Ania, 1983
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Our latest acquisitions
Antoine won't be forgotten; not Colette, either ◊ I want you Braque
For the French people, by the French people ◊ There's always mushroom for one more
An answer on a postcard ◊ A little bird told Vasarely to hold his horse
Once upon a wild time ◊ A Marseille’s soap opera
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INSCRIBED TO A FELLOW LAUREATE OF THE PRIX FEMINA
Antoine de SAINT-EXUPÉRY
Terre des hommes
Nrf ◊ Paris 1939
First edition, one of the press copies.
Anthracite half-morocco binding signed by Boichot.
Presentation copy, inscribed and signed by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry to Antoinette de Bergevin (Colette Yver) under her pen name.
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WITH AN UNRECORDED ARTIST'S PROOF
René CHAR & Georges BRAQUE
Le Soleil des eaux, spectacle pour une toile des pêcheurs
Henri Matarasso ◊ Paris 1949
First edition, one of 170 numbered copies on vélin du Marais, the only issue after 30 copies on Arches.
Illustrated with 3 original etchings in black by Georges Braque and one in black and grey as frontispiece.
Signed by René Char and Georges Braque on the colophon, with an exceptionally added original artist's proof signed in pencil.
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[Attributed to Michel-Ange-Bernard MANGOURIT]
Le Tribun du peuple au peuple
[Nantes] ◊ Paris 1788
First edition, actually printed in Nantes by Malassis despite the Paris imprint on the title-page, as revealed by a manuscript note by Mangourit himself cited by Barbier.
An anonymously published pamphlet, with a typographical vignette on the title-page.
Copy preserved in its original state and therefore without wrappers.
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[MYCOLOGY]
Handwritten album by a mushroom enthusiast, containing 58 original drawings in black and color
[ca 1900]
Manuscript on graph paper comprising nearly 60 original drawings in black pencil, coloured pencil and watercolour, describing various species of edible and poisonous fungi.
Each drawing is captioned in French and Latin.
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Alexander CALDER & Juan-Luis BUÑUEL
(to Jeanne RUCAR épouse BUÑUEL)
Signed autograph postcard
|Saché] 22 décembre 1966
Handwritten signed postcard from Alexander Calder and Juan Luis Buñuel to Jeanne Buñuel written in French in black felt-tip. Saché postmark (Indre-et-Loire). Jeanne Buñuel's address in Mexico.
Photograph of Calder's studio in Saché on the front of the card.
Provenance: Buñuel family archives.
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Victor VASARELY & Lajos KASSÁK
Le Cheval meurt les oiseaux s'envolent
Fata Morgana ◊ Montpellier 1971
First French edition, one of 75 numbered copies on Arches, the deluxe issue.
A rare and handsome copy.
This copy is complete with the original silkscreen by Victor Vasarely, numbered and signed by the artist.
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Joseph KESSEL, inscription to Eddy MARNAY
Les Temps sauvages
Gallimard ◊ Paris 1975
First edition, one of 56 hors commerce name copies on Saint-Amand, the only deluxe issue with 32 copies on papier hollande.
A fine copy.
Name copy of Eddy Marnay inscribed by Joseph Kessel beneath the limitation statement: "or the zombie his friend Jef."
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CHEMISTS AGAINST TRADITIONALISTS
[MARSEILLE SOAP]
Mémoire des fabricans de soude de Marseille, en réfutation d'une pétition de quelques habitans du département de l'Aude, présenté à la Chambre des Pairs et à celle des Députés
Rouchon ◊ Marseille [1816]
First edition of this memorandum defending the chemical soda industry of Marseille against its critics from the Aude region.
Our copy is offered in an unbound state.
A rare document bearing witness to an early episode of industrial lobbying that would shape the global destiny of Marseille soap.
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