Marseille

Typed letter, dated and signed in blue ink by Fernandel, addressed to his close friend Carlo Rim, the Provençal writer, caricaturist and filmmaker who was also his biographer, concerning their joint film, L'Armoire volante.

One page on Fernandel's letterhead.

Some light soiling and folds from mailing.

A document that sheds light, through the exchange between an actor and his director, on the inner workings of French film production in the late 1940s.

Rare first edition.

Only two copies recorded in the CCF (BnF and Marseille).

“…their change of residence, abandoning the old city to settle in the new districts? A memoir awarded by the Société académique de médecine de Marseille at its public session of 1 August 1819; (…). Enlarged with the plan of a medical topography of the city of Marseille, which the author proposes to publish.” Marseille, Joseph-François Achard, 1819, 8vo, disbound. Title, 40 pp. Only two copies recorded in the CCF (BnF and Marseille). Very rare. The author was a physician attached to the dispensaries and the maternity hospital of Marseille.

First edition (a reprint was issued in 1963) of one of the two major works by Marcel Sarrazin, known as Vassal, now considered one of the leading French-speaking 'mentalists'—a modern term borrowed from English (cf. Fechner, p. 554). Only 2 copies listed in the CCF (BnF and Sainte-Geneviève).

Small stains to the lower right corner of the title page, otherwise a well-preserved copy.

Contemporary half tawny sheep binding, spine with four raised bands and gilt fleurons, minor rubbing to spine, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original front wrapper preserved, sprinkled edges, very slight rubbing to corners.

Illustrated with in-text figures after...

First edition printed in Marseille and illustrated with 20 steel engravings. Contemporary half hazel sheep binding. Smooth spine decorated with gilt fillets. Gilt title and volume numbers. Spine slightly faded. Minor rubbing. A well-preserved copy, with only occasional light foxing.

Marseille edition of decree no. 1341 of the National Convention. Decree no. 1395 was added by hand, written in ink on the third page.

Bifolium printed on the first two pages and manuscript on the third page, lightly browned and creased at the margins, minute losses without affecting the text.

A curious decree, situated both within the climate of political suspicion of the summer of 1793 and within a longer history of the repression of cross-dressing that runs, in unequal forms depending on sex, through two centuries of French law.

Rare first edition, printed in a small number of copies, of this offprint from the Bulletin de la Société de géographie de Marseille, illustrated with 2 folding colour maps outside the text.

Spine split with some loss, marginal dampstaining to the covers, contents in pleasant condition.

Alfred Rabaud (1828-1886) was president of the Société de géographie de Marseille, founded in 1877 and one of the organisations that helped further France's colonial policy.

Rare, albeit in the condition described.

First edition printed in 200 copies, ours one of the 30 on Holland paper, deluxe copies.
Spine slightly browned with small lacks and tears at head and foot, slight lacks and tears to board margins, handsome interior condition despite clear foxing on the final endpaper.
Rare.

Autograph letter dated and signed (25 lines in black ink) from the illustrator and caricaturist Sennep, addressed to his friend the Provençal writer, caricaturist and filmmaker Carlo Rim, thanking him while teasing him after having been decorated with the Legion of Honor: "Merci, gros jaloux ! mais, d'abord, je n'ai pas les cheveux aussi blancs ! ensuite, ma cravate est d'un bleu de ciel, qui évoque le ruban des "Enfants de Marie", beaucoup plus que l'ordre du Saint-Esprit..." ["Thank you, big jealous one! but, first, I don't have hair that white! then, my tie is sky blue, which evokes the ribbon of the "Children of Mary", much more than the order of the Holy...

First edition, one of 60 numbered copies on vélin d'Arche papers, the only grand papier (deluxe) copies with a few hors commerce also on vergé d'Arches.
Illustrated with 6 original lithographs by Antoni Tapies.

A very nice copy.
HAndwritten signatures of Antoni Tapies and Georges Raillard to colophon.

First edition illustrated with 24 original lithographs by René Seyssaud, one of 70 copies printed on pure Arches wove paper, this one being among the first 20 enhanced with an additional suite of lithographs and an original drawing by René Seyssaud, signed in brown pencil.

The additional suite comprises only 8 lithographs, 5 in color and 3 in black and white.

Text by René-Jean and J. Tourette.

A well-preserved copy, complete with its original chemise and slipcase (spine sunned), a few scattered spots of foxing, notably on the covers.

First edition of this memorandum defending the chemical soda industry of Marseille against its detractors from the Aude region.
Our copy is offered in an unbound state.

First edition, one of 30 numbered copies on Auvergne, deluxe copies ("tirage de tête").
Beautiful copy despite very slight tears affecting mostly the endpapers.

First edition, hors commerce, printed in 100 numbered copies on pur fil paper, the only printing with a few copies for the author, this one specially printed for Thomas Stearns Eliot.
Handsome autograph inscription from Saint-John Perse to his friend and U.S. translator, Allen (Tate) : " Pour vous, mon cher Allen, en bien vive et profonde admiration [for you, my dear Allen, with lively and profound admiration]".
Covers and spine slightly and marginally faded, two small insignificant tears to head and foot of spine.