Autograph letter signed by Emile Zola addressed to the actress Marie Laurent, dated in his hand December 16, 1896. One and a half pages in black ink on a bifolium.
Traces of horizontal and vertical folds, inherent to the mailing. Trace of violet ink in left outer margin of first leaf, not touching text.
Published in his Correspondance, ed. Bard H. Bakker, Colette Becker, October 1893-September 1897, p. 371.
Zola attempts to help the actress Marie Laurent who created the role of Thérèse Raquin on stage, and encounters the refusal of Fernand de Rodays, administrator of Le Figaro.
President of the Orphelinat des Arts, the actress Marie Laurent had solicited the writer to support the publication of an article about the charitable work in the columns of Le Figaro. Zola meets with a categorical refusal from the newspaper's administrator Fernand de Rodays:
"Chère Madame,
Je n'ai pas de bonne nouvelle à vous donner. M. de Rodays ne m'a pas même laissé achever, et il m'a déclaré qu'il était résolu à ne publier dans le Figaro aucun article sur l'Orphelinat des Arts. Il m'a été impossible même d'insister, devant son parti pris formel. J'aurais été fort heureux de vous être agréable et je regrette l'obstacle qui m'en empêche. Je le répète, toute insistance est inutile.
Veuillez me croire quand même, chère Madame, votre fidèle et dévoué" ("Dear Madam, I have no good news to give you. M. de Rodays did not even let me finish, and he declared that he was resolved not to publish any article about the Orphelinat des Arts in Le Figaro. It was impossible for me even to insist, faced with his formal prejudice. I would have been very happy to be agreeable to you and I regret the obstacle that prevents me. I repeat, any insistence is useless. Please believe me nonetheless, dear Madam, your faithful and devoted")
Fine letter from Emile Zola to the actress who, according to the writer, "véritablement créé le rôle de Madame Raquin [...] c'est elle qui a trouvé tout cet admirable personnage du quatrième acte, cette haute figure du châtiment implacable et muet, ces deux yeux vivants cloués sur les coupables et les poursuivant jusque dans l'agonie." ("truly created the role of Madame Raquin [...] it is she who found all this admirable character of the fourth act, this lofty figure of implacable and mute punishment, these two living eyes fixed on the guilty and pursuing them even unto agony.") (Preface to Thérèse Raquin, Drame en quatre actes, Charpentier, 1875).
First edition, "very rare and extremely sought-after" (Clouzot), one of 750 copies on laid paper, with title vignettes engraved by Henri Porret after Henry Monnier.
Skilful restoration of a tear at the foot of a page, with slight damage to a letter. A rare copy with no foxing.
Green half calf binding, smooth spines with arabesques stamped in gilt, black title labels and volume labels; marbled paper boards, spine boards and endpapers, speckled edges, later bindings in the Romantic style.
First edition, one of 1050 numbered copies on bouffant alfa paper.
Publisher's binding after the original design by Paul Bonet.
Very handsome copy complete with its flexible cardboard slipcase.
New edition printed in 3,100 numbered copies on châtaignier paper, ours one of 100 hors commerce copies.
Publisher's full cardboard binding made according to Paul Bonet's original design.
Handsome copy.
"The interposition of the poem between painting and music has therefore proven to be an excellent conduit between the arts thanks to the fact that Hahn scrupulously respected the spirit of the poem while preserving his autonomy in his composition. The link between music and painting reveals itself after the other materials unite with each other; it is in this alliance that an astonishing complementarity then operates, desired on the soothing light of Albert Cuyp" (Nicolas Vardon)
First edition printed by "Cercle nouveau du livre" before the deluxe edition by Julliard a few months later, one of the numbered copies, the only printing.
Very handsome copy complete with its rhodoid.
Publisher's binding in full green cloth, smooth spine, title and author's name stamped in gilt on the front cover.
First edition, printed in a small run of numbered copies.
With two photographic portraits: one of Charles Pathé and the other of his brother Émile, and a view of the Kodak-Pathé and Pathé-Cinéma factories.
3/4 beige sheepskin binding, spine with four raised bands decorated with black typographical motifs, date at foot of spine, marbled paper boards, endpapers and flyleaves.
Discrete restorations to spine, some rubbing to upper corners of boards.
Signed by Charles Pathé on his photographic portrait.
New edition, with 58 illustrated full-page plates including a frontispiece, all after P. A. Varin.
Full green velvet binding with silver edges, elaborately decorated with gilt gauffered rocaille motifs, and some blind stamped, with abundant onlays of blue, purple, cream and red velvet ; upper board with silver engraved crowned A[ve] M[aria] initials at center, "RGP" silver engraved initials at center of second board, both initials inside a wide red velvet inlay bordered with gilt gauffered motifs displaying the sheepskin of the Order of the Golden Fleece at bottom, spine elaborately decorated with gilt rocaille motifs, silver engraved title label, silver clasps with pierced leafy designs and central roundel, light blue watered silk pastedowns and endpapers elaborately decorated with gilt rocaille gauffered motifs, all edges gilt. Contemporary binding. Scattered foxing throughout.
A masterful piece of Rocaille book-making in velvet and silver, opulently gauffered and heavily gilt, in exceptional condition.
