First edition of the French translation, for which no deluxe paper copies were issued.
A handsome copy, complete with its photographic dust jacket showing a tiny tear at the head of the spine, with illustrations.
Inscribed and signed by Julio Cortázar to the writer Christiane Baroche: "Pour toi, Chirstiane, avec toute mon amitié. Julio."
Very rare first edition (125 copies printed according to Quérard) of this remarkable exposition of Talma’s dramaturgical principles, still regarded as a “revolutionary” actor despite his immense success (his friendship with Napoleon never wavered); the text was inserted the same year, 1825, at the beginning of the new edition of the Memoirs of Henri-Louis Caïn, known as Lekain (1729–1778), who was still considered in the early nineteenth century as one of the greatest tragedians of the eighteenth century.
See Quérard IX, 333.
Scattered foxing.
Full cherry-red long-grain morocco, smooth spine tooled with gilt fillets, garlands and fleurons, gilt rolls at head and tail, gilt fillet, garland and dotted border together with blind-stamped palmettes on the boards, small black speckling on the front board, blue endpapers and pastedowns, gilt lace border on the pastedowns, gilt fillets on the board edges, all edges gilt, contemporary binding.
A handsomely produced copy in a period Romantic full-morocco binding.
First edition, one of the 81 numbered copies on Holland paper, the only deluxe issue.
A handsome copy.
First edition, illustrated with a frontispiece and four plates after life drawings by Voutier, engraved on copper by Normand fils (cf. Loukia Droulia, 429; Blackmer, 1750; not in Atabey).
Half black shagreen binding, spine restored, with four raised bands ruled in triple gilt fillets, aubergine paper boards, boards faded, gilt armorial device stamped to the upper cover, modern bookplate pasted at the head of a pastedown, contemporary binding.
Scattered foxing.
"Voutier went to Greece in 1821 and acted as ADC to Mavrocordatos on the Peta campaign" (Leonora Navari).
Distinguished provenance: copy bearing the arms of King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover (1771–1851), with his library’s red stamp on the verso of the title-page.
First edition, one of 65 copies on Arches wove paper, pure rag; our copy is unnumbered but correctly justified "vergé d’Arches" at the foot of the lower cover, the only deluxe papers issued.
Two slight sunning marks at head and tail of the backstrip, which is also lightly pinched at the foot.
A pleasing copy.
First edition, printed in 100 copies, each bearing a nominative number on laid paper.
Endpapers partly toned, as often, with a light crease at the foot of the lower cover.
A scarce and appealing copy of this work published under the semi-pseudonym of Jacques Kessel.
First edition.
With press clippings laid in.
Half bronze sheep binding, spine with four raised bands framed with gilt pointillé and decorated with double gilt fillets, red sheep lettering-piece, a few small black spots and a light scratch to the spine, marbled paper boards, cat’s-eye patterned endpapers and pastedowns, contemporary binding.
A pleasing copy.
First edition (cf. Not in Quérard or Musset-Pathay. Oberlé 101-02.).
Including, with the appended pieces (cf. infra), the account of the thirteen experiments conducted by Maupin between 1772 and 1777 on the handling of wines.
Bound at the end:
Bradel-style binding in half bottle-green long-grain morocco, smooth spine tooled with gilt fillets, date gilt at foot, cat's-eye patterned paper boards, bookplate mounted at the head of one pastedown; modern binding.
Spine and lower cover marginally faded and sunning, light upper-marginal dampstaining.
Rare first edition illustrated with 10 folding plates, including 5 grammatical tables and 5 plates of calligraphy.
Not recorded in Blackmer, Atabey or Hage Chahine.
Half olive-green calf, spine with four raised bands framed with gilt garlands and decorated with small blind-stamped floral tools, black morocco title and author labels, marbled paper boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, modern binding.
Spine slightly darkened, small paper losses to the upper right corners of the first leaves not affecting the text, some foxing mainly at the end of the volume. Much better known for his role in the mission sent by Napoleon to the Shah of Persia to negotiate a counter-alliance against Turkey, Amédée Jaubert (1779–1847) was a distinguished orientalist, professor of Persian at the Collège de France, and of Turkish at the École des langues orientales, of which he became president in 1838.
First edition of this pamphlet devoted to the largest marshland in Italy, the Fucecchio wetlands.
Illustrated with a double-page engraved plate.
Disbound copy.
From the library of the economist, agronomist, industrialist, and lithographer Charles-Philibert de Lasteyrie du Saillant (1759–1849), with his ownership stamp on the title-page.
First edition of the French translation and notes prepared by Billecocq (cf. Sabin, 41879; Leclerc, 943; Field, 947; Howes, 443; Staton-Trenlaine, Bibliogr. of Canadiana, 597 for the original edition).
Half mottled calf, smooth spine decorated with gilt tools, brown shagreen title-piece, marbled paper boards slightly darkened and faded at the edges, red edges; modern binding.
Stamp on the half-title, a light marginal dampstain affecting the outer margins of the final leaves.
Illustrated with a folding copper-engraved map by P. F. Tardieu, “Des pays situés à l'ouest du Canada”.
“The interest of the work lies in the detailed and relatively objective descriptions it provides of Indigenous life (…) The work is also of great value for its extensive lists of terms used by the Inuit, the Agniers, the Algonquins, the Mohegans, the Chaouanons and the Saulteaux.” Cf. Dictionary of Canadian Biography, IV, pp. 524–525.
First edition, illustrated with seven folding plates.
Preserved in its original state, sewn and issued in plain blue paper wrappers with an added inner lining.
This volume gathers eight short papers previously published in the annual reports of the Kew Observatory.
Francis Ronalds (1788–1873), a largely self-taught engineer, became in 1843 the director and superintendent of the Kew meteorological observatory.
His work included, among other tasks, the development of a system for recording meteorological data.
On the front flyleaf, autograph presentation from Francis Ronalds to a member of the Becquerel family, most likely Antoine-César (1788–1878) rather than his son.
First edition, illustrated with four tinted plates, including a frontispiece (cf. O'Reilly & Reitman, Tahiti, 6452).
Contemporary half plum sheep, the spine faded and decorated with gilt garlands and floral tools, some rubbing to the spine, marbled-paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, a few worn spots along the edges.
Scattered foxing, the plates evenly toned.
The work offers a history of the island, written in the aftermath of its annexation following the cession of his domains by King Pomare V. It provides an overview of the voyages of Quirós, Wallis, Bougainville and Cook, a portrait of Tahitian life a century earlier, and a sketch of the island’s development since the arrival of the first missionaries.
Chapter V is devoted to the principal episodes of Captain Cook’s three voyages to Tahiti: encounters with the inhabitants, meetings with local chiefs, the revolt on the island of Eimeo, visits to the surrounding islands... (pp. 107–220).
Joseph Bournichon (1839–1924) was a priest and the author of several edifying monographs.
First edition of the French translation, with no issue on deluxe paper.
Minor surface scuffs along the margins of the front wrapper.
With a fine signed presentation inscription by Italo Calvino: "A Michel Tournier avec le souvenir de Italo Calvino. Mai 1974."
First edition on standard paper.
A handsome copy, complete with its publisher’s wraparound band.
Fine presentation inscription signed by Milan Kundera: "Paris 1998. Pour Michel Tournier avec l'amitié fidèle de Milan Kundera."
First edition of this concise treatise on rural economy, attributed to the Duke of Sully, the famed minister of Henri IV, born at Rosny and who bore the name of that estate.
His well-known commitment to the development of agriculture has passed into national lore. However, it cannot be excluded that another author, sharing the same territorial designation, may be responsible for the text.
Contemporary full mottled fawn sheep, spine with five raised bands decorated with gilt compartments and gilt tools, gilt fillets, Havana morocco lettering-piece, gilt rolls to the headcaps, gilt fillets to board edges, red sprinkled edges.
Some repairs to the binding. Manuscript ex-libris inscriptions “Cousturier, Prieur de Champsanglard [Creuse]” and “Denesmond, prêtre” on the title-page of the first volume.
The booklet is followed, as very often with this title, by two short agronomic treatises, which vary from one copy to another.
In this copy:
Third edition, partially revised and corrected, incorporating new material.
Bradel binding in olive-green half percaline, smooth spine, bordeaux morocco-grained shagreen lettering-piece; restored and lightly soiled original wrappers preserved; modern binding.
Some scattered foxing, bookplate mounted on the verso of the front wrapper, traces of adhesive at the head and foot of the endpapers.
The first edition appeared in 1868.
This collection of twenty-six short independent pieces chiefly concerns the Chinese world and its adjacent regions (Indochina and Japan).
First edition, with no copies issued on deluxe paper.
Backstrip lightly creased, minor corner creases to the covers.
Inscribed, dated, and signed by Marguerite Duras to Yvonne Beaujour.
First edition, with no deluxe paper issue, one of the review copies.
A pleasing copy.
Inscribed, dated and signed by Annie Ernaux to her friend, the writer Christiane Baroche.
First edition of these observations and proposed reforms concerning the Navy. Pierre-Alexandre Forfait (1752–1807) served as Minister of the Navy from November 1799 to October 1801.
Contemporary full fawn calf, mottled and polished, smooth spine tooled with gilt decorative compartments and false bands, red shagreen lettering-piece, joints lightly rubbed, boards framed with delicate gilt rolls, a few abrasions and small losses to the leather at the lower edges, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, corners softened, all edges gilt, a period binding.
Pierre-Alexandre Forfait (1752–1807) served as Minister of the Navy from November 1799 to October 1801.
Forfait and Bonaparte met in Venice around 1798, and it was he who "forma" the future Emperor in the principles of naval warfare that Napoleon would later wage against England.
In this pamphlet, he characterises the English in the following terms « … ces dominateurs des mers ne donneront jamais le temps nécessaire pour recréer et former une marine par les moyens ordinaires, la navigation marchande ou la pêche … Comptez qu'ils vous déclareront toujours la guerre, ou vous la feront sans la déclarer, avant que vos forces navales aient pu atteindre son degré de développement qui puisse les inquiéter ».
The plan of 21 July 1803, in which the flotilla was to operate without the support of the Navy, clearly demonstrates the deep influence Forfait’s ideas had on Bonaparte.
However, the group formed by Decrès, Ganteaume, Bruix and Villeneuve during the Egyptian campaign exerted a powerful influence on Napoleon; and Decrès ultimately succeeded in definitively supplanting Forfait.
Provenance: manuscript ex-libris of Decrès mounted on a pastedown; he succeeded the author as Minister of the Navy and remained in office until 1814.
Rare first edition of this small opus, traditionally regarded as constituting the fourth part (of five) of the *Euphormionis Satyricon*, an allegorical satire of the tastes of King James I, and the author’s second most important work after his *Argenis* (cf. Brunet I, 652.)
Full brown calf, spine with five raised bands, compartments decorated with gilt floral tools, cherry-calf lettering piece, headcaps restored, trace of a shelving label at the foot of the spine, single blind fillet framing the boards, gilt fillets to board edges, lower corners rubbed, sprinkled edges, slightly later binding.
Loss restored to the title-page, which also bears two ink annotations; edges slightly trimmed.
The first part appeared under the London imprint in 1605, the second in 1607 under the Paris imprint, and the third in 1611 under the title “Apologia Euphormionis pro se”.
However, these last two texts are not works of fiction and are only loosely connected to the first two parts.
The present work, which may be rendered as Icon animorum, is in fact an essay offering, from life, a description and classification of the traits that mark both the differences and the affinities among Europeans.
Barclay examines their inner and outward signs, stemming sometimes from the conditions of human nature and education, sometimes from national character and from social or professional determinants.
Here the European man receives one of his earliest and most contrasted definitions, blending history and geography, culture and secularized religious ideals, in a treatise that eludes generic classification, abounds in stylistic gems, and compels today’s reader to reflect on his own preconceptions.
First edition of this almanac of the Neue Dichtung published by Kurt Wolff, featuring the first book-form appearance of Kafka’s short story "Vor dem Gesetz" (pp. 126-128). Covers sunned, tear to spine not lacking paper, chipping to spine-ends, and corners rubbed.
First edition of the short story "Vor dem Gesetz" (Before the Law), later published verbatim in Kafka’s masterpiece "Der Proceß" (The Trial).
First edition (cf. Martin & Walter, 16 491; Monglond III, 630; not in Schefer, Blackmer or Atabey).
Bradel binding in full marbled paper boards, smooth spine with a vertically lettered fawn sheepskin label, red edges; a modern binding.
Some foxing; marginal staining to the upper edges of the final leaves.
Excellent abridgement of General Hénin de Cuvillers’ diplomatic mission to Constantinople (1793–1795).
Upon his return from Turkey, Hénin (born 1755) took part in the Italian campaign of 1796 and was wounded at Caldiero and Arcole.
Appointed in 1802 as assistant to the general staff in Saint-Domingue, he was entrusted by Rochambeau with the colony’s military archives, which he brought back to Paris in 1804.
His military career under the Empire ended in 1813, when he was required to justify himself before the Grenoble court martial following the evacuation of the Simplon, deemed too hasty.
Granted retirement in 1815, he lived until 1841.
The 164 dispatches summarised in this volume provide valuable insights into diplomatic life in Constantinople, relations with the Revolutionary government, news from the Asian trading posts, the situation in the Levant, and maritime and military affairs.
New edition, illustrated with 111 drawings by Neuville and Riou. 7 plates some of which in color.
Publisher's gilt Globe binding, upper plate signed Blancheland, Engel relieur, spine with lighthouse, second plate of Engel H type, publisher's catalogue Y at end of volume.
Fine copy despite the last endpaper hinge partly split.
Undoubtedly the most famous of Jules Verne's novels, featuring the mythical figure of Captain Nemo and his legendary submarine, the Nautilus.
This work is in fact the reissue of the original edition, published under a new title: the 1772 edition was entitled "Dissertation sur les vins".
One hundred blank leaves have been bound at the end of the text.
The work saw an expanded edition in 1782, which was subsequently reprinted. (Cf. Simon BG: 510. Not recorded by Vicaire, Oberlé, or Bitting. Lacking from the Kilian Fritsch Collection.)
Contemporary half mottled tawny sheep with vellum-tipped corners, the spine with five raised bands decorated with gilt compartments, marbled paper sides, red edges.
An important treatise on vinification by a former wine merchant’s employee who had worked in France, England, and Holland.
The volume details the methods then used to preserve and improve wines, as well as to treat those that had spoiled. One chapter is devoted to the manner of making wines in Champagne (pp. 135–179). It is also, however, a veritable compendium of “fraudulent recipes”…
An open invitation to fraud, so much so that the censor responsible for granting approval was visibly unsettled: this dissertation "contient les formules suivant lesquelles on sophistique les vins, cependant on peut le laisser imprimer, parce qu'elle n'apprend aux frelateurs de vins que ce qu'ils savent bien faire et qu'elle fait connaître au public qui et prévenu, que les vins frelatés sont dangereux et les moyens qu'on emploie pour le tromper". [D. Denis, Histoire socio-économique de la vigne et du vin.]
Edition published in the same year as the first.
Spine and covers faintly sunned, without seriousness.
Attractive presentation copy signed by Anaïs Nin to the writer Christiane Baroche: "Christiane Baroche vos paroles "je la sais qui m'attend jusque dans ma mémoire. Anaïs Nin."
First separate edition, the text having previously appeared in the series Philipp's new voyages and travels (London, 1820–1823) (cf. Cordier, Sinica, 308).
Bradel-style binding in full grey boards, smooth spine, title label, sprinkled edges; a modern binding.
An exceptionally early account of the coastal region between Macao and Canton, published anonymously despite the initials J.R. at the end of the preface (this J.R. served as supercargo on the ship The Friendship).
Unique ensemble of works devoted to the philanthropic achievements of the Marquise d'Aligre (1776–1843).
Full olive-green calf, the spine slightly darkened, with five raised bands framed by triple gilt fillets and decorated with double gilt panels; gilt roll tools on the partially worn headcaps, rubbing to joints, gilt scrolling borders on the covers, gilt armorial device stamped at the centre of the upper cover, large blind-stamped fleuron at the centre of the lower cover; marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt dentelle border on the pastedowns, gilt edges somewhat dulled on the board edges, all edges gilt; lower corners softened; contemporary binding.
A few scattered spots.
The volume is bound with the arms of the Marquise d'Aligre’s husband, Étienne-Jean-François-Charles, Marquis d'Aligre (1770–1847), member of the Conseil général de la Seine in 1803, chamberlain to Caroline Murat (1804), peer of France under the Restoration, and supporter of the constitutional and liberal monarchy.
Louise Camus de Pontcarré, whom he married in 1810, was his second wife—and his first cousin.
"Femme de bien, possédant, comme son mari, une fortune considérable, elle s'associa à toutes ses oeuvres, les développant et en créant des nouvelles. Parmi celles-ci, il faut citer notamment l'asile d'Aligre à Chartres, l'hôpital d'Aligre à Bonneval (Eure-et-Loir), l'hôpital de Bourbon-Lancy (Saône-et-Loire)" [Dict. de biogr. française].
We provide below a detailed list of the pieces gathered in this volume:
First edition on ordinary paper.
A vertical crease along the right margin of the upper cover, which also shows a tiny blemish at the head; a complete copy retaining its publisher’s wraparound band.
Fine presentation inscription signed by Pascal Quignard: "Pour Michel Tournier cette terrasse à Rome, avec mon meilleur souvenir. Pascal Quignard."
First edition, with no deluxe paper issue.
The covers are faintly and marginally toned; a pleasing copy overall.
Moving and precious presentation copy signed by Jacques Julliard: "Pour Simone Veil à elle qui a été de tous les combats contre ce fascisme qui vient... pour lui dire estime et amitié. Jacques Julliard."
Extremely scarce Toulon printing, illustrated with in-text figures and tables.
Only one copy recorded in the CCF (BnF).
Contemporary half brown sheep, the faded smooth spine gilt with fillets, garlands and floral tools, marbled paper boards slightly sunned at the head-margins, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, marbled edges.
A tear without loss to the foot of the half-title.
A professor at Franeker and later at Amsterdam, Jan Hendrik van Swinden (1746–1823) was the most renowned Dutch physicist of the eighteenth century.
Rare first edition, illustrated with two vignettes: one on the title page and another at the head of the opening text leaf (cf. Backer & Sommervogel VII, 185, no. 58.)
See Brunet, "Recherches sur les imprimeries imaginaires, clandestines et particulières", p. 19.
Printed on the private presses of the Turin Court of Appeal, the work offers a detailed account of the miraculous phenomena reported in Rome between July 1796 and January 1797. The author rebuts, in particular, the sceptical reactions of the "fiers à bras du philosophisme".
Our copy is preserved in its original drab paper wrappers, the spine cracked, the covers soiled, a few spots, a pale dampstain at the head of the first leaves, and an inked stamp on the title-page.
Jean-Joseph Rossignol, born in Vallouise or La Pisse (Hautes-Alpes) on 3 July 1726, entered the Society of Jesus in 1742. He taught the classics, rhetoric, and philosophy at Marseille and, after the suppression in France (1762), at Vilna, where he directed the observatory. After 1773 he joined the Collegio dei Nobili in Milan, where he taught physics and mathematics for eighteen years. He died in Turin in 1817.
Original linen-backed lithograph, featuring a large portrait of Liane de Pougy by A. Gallice after a photograph by Léopold-Emile Reutlinger ("cliché Reutlinger" stated on the plate). Printed by G. Bataille. Horizontal and vertical fold marks, discreet traces of rolling at the hem of the dress, four pasted and stamped tax stamps, and a shadow in the left margin.
Exceptionally rare original poster advertising a performance by the dancer and courtesan Liane de Pougy, renowned for boldly displaying her beauty on stage and for the openly sapphic loves recounted in her writings (Idylle saphique, 1901). This unrecorded document is the only copy we can trace.
Original ink composition in magenta, brown, green, and blue hues, titled and signed “Moscou / LD” by Léon Deubel made on the verso of a leaf from his collection of poems titled La Lumière natale.
Magnificent multicoloured ink-blot drawing (klecksography) signed by the poète maudit Léon Deubel, inspired by Arthur Rimbaud’s Illuminations. This early Rorschach-like fold drawing was created using a technique dear to Victor Hugo.
New edition.
Foreword by Wayne McEvilly.
Spine and boards faintly and marginally toned, without consequence.
Handsome presentation inscription signed by Anaïs Nin to the writer Christiane Baroche : "Christiane Baroche écrit : "Ici j'entends germer le monde. Et je m'invente au jour le jour. L'infame imaginaire que mon rêve a du vivre a l'inverse de ma vie. Anaïs Nin."
Exceptional album comprising 54 original caricatures, some captioned, executed in India ink, pencil, and watercolour (including three small pencil sketches on loose leaves), together with several blank leaves.
This entertaining and highly personal album, evidently compiled by an amateur artist, appears to chronicle the various adventures and misadventures of a small cast of recurring characters, all seemingly connected in one way or another with the French Embassy to the Ottoman Porte, as suggested by a piece of official letterhead inserted between two leaves.
Contemporary full ivory vellum with yapped edges, smooth spine ruled in red, a restored split at the head of the spine, red fillets framing the boards, some marking to the covers, comb-marbled endpapers, red edges.
The album also includes one autograph letter signed in black ink, embellished with marginal caricatures, addressed to Mr H. Fournier and opening with "Cher Washington n°2".
The recipient of this satirical, illustrated letter appears to be the diplomat Hugues Marie Henri Fournier (1821–1898), appointed ambassador to Constantinople in 1877.
The adventures of the small group, identified by captions in black pencil, seem to begin in Florence in September 1872 and continue on to Rome.
The album includes, among other scenes, a watercolour depicting the Temple of Vesta.
In December 1872, according to an ink caption, the group—comprising the Vicomtes Bresson, de Mareuil, d'Hauterive, and d'Hérisson—is caricatured in Rome: at the theatre, on the Capitoline Hill, on horseback, and so forth.
A panoramic watercolour likewise satirises the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and its protagonists.
Also portrayed in pencil alongside Fournier are General de Castelbajac and the Baron de Talleyrand.
The album further contains a fine pencil portrait of Khalil Bey.
The renowned Ottoman diplomat and collector, born in Cairo in 1831 and deceased in Istanbul in 1879, had indeed returned to Constantinople in 1872, after his ambassadorship in Vienna (1868), to marry the Egyptian princess Nazli Fazl. In addition to his role in the Crimean War, he is remembered for his celebrated art collection which, sold at auction in 1868, included works by Courbet (among them L'Origine du monde), Ingres, Delacroix, and others.
The Comte d'Osmond and Alfred de Courtois are likewise caricatured.
The album also features a view titled Pointe imaginaire du sérail and a watercolour depicting a game of lawn tennis.
A unique ensemble.
First issue of the series of fifty large hors-texte lithographs drawn from life by Henry John Terry (cf. Vicaire, VII, 1164).
Publisher’s binding in full red cloth, smooth spine decorated with blind-ruled compartments and fillets, light rubbing to the head- and tailcaps, gilt-lettered title on the front board, yellow endpapers, trace of a removed bookplate on one pastedown, one lower corner softened, slight discoloration to the lower left corner of the rear board, occasional marginal foxing, a small loss to the foot of page 119, and minor wormholes at the foot of the last three leaves, not affecting the text.
The fifty striking black lithographs depict the most picturesque views of Haute-Savoie.
Henry John Terry, originally from England, studied in Geneva under Alexandre Calame, the foremost Swiss landscape painter of the nineteenth century, and later settled in the country.
A well-preserved copy in the publisher’s original cloth.
First edition, issued without any deluxe paper copies.
Occasional marginal tears to upper part of front cover, small lacks of paper to spine-ends, lack of paper to the lower left corner of the lower cover, and a small snag to lower part of lower cover.
Exceptional presentation copy from one woman writer to another, addressed by Georges de Peyrebrune to Jane Catulle Mendès: "pour mon exquise confrère / pour ma charmante amie / Madame Catulle Mendès / En souvenir / Peyrebrune".
First editions by Peyrebrune and even more so her inscribed copies are decidedly scarce: "it is still very difficult to find Peyrebrune's books nowadays" (Sophie Ménard).
New illustrated edition featuring two lithographed plates out of text and enriched with notes by Francisco de S. Luiz (cf. Brunet I, p. 263; Graesse I, p. 118).
Modern binding in half Havana calf, smooth spine decorated with gilt and black fillets and black floral motifs, black shagreen title piece, marbled paper boards, red edges.
A few light foxing spots, mainly at the beginning of the volume.
This biography, rightly celebrated, met with great success upon publication.
First edition of each volume.
The first work lacks its map, while the second retains it.
Full marbled blond calf binding, smooth spines decorated with gilt floral and scroll motifs, red calf title labels, gilt fillet borders on the covers, gilt roll tooling along the edges, cat’s-eye endpapers and pastedowns, green edges, contemporary binding.
Restorations to the spines, joints fragile, repairs to the title leaves, handwritten notes at the head of the first page of text in each volume.
First edition of this paper on cassava and the cultivation of peanuts, read before the General Assembly of the Royal Aragonese Society on 22 August 1800.
Our copy is preserved in modern plain beige wrappers, with a few insignificant spots of foxing.
From the library of the comte de Lasteyrie du Saillant, the renowned agronomist, with his red printed stamp on the title-page.
First edition on ordinary paper.
Pages 10–11 lightly sunned owing to the presence of a newspaper clipping.
Fine presentation inscription signed by André Pieyre de Mandiargues: "à Michel Tournier en très cordiale sympathie. André PM."
First edition, one of 1050 numbered copies on alfa paper.
Two very slight sunning without gravity to head of boards, handsome copy.
Paperboard binding after Mario Prassinos' original design.
Album of signatures created by Cecil Henland, 1908 issue bearing 36 signatures of leading figures from literature, cinema, music, the press and French theatre, each dated between 1908 and 1910.
Bound in red shagreen, smooth spine with title gilt-stamped, vignette mounted on the upper cover, gilt edges, publisher’s binding.
Illustrated with a cover vignette with an ink signature of "The Ghost of a Celebrated General" (General Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts Association).
One of the most precious copies of this ghostly album, before Rorschach tests and Surrealist transfer drawings, previously belonging to Yvonne Redelsperger, future wife of the publisher Gaston Gallimard.
The greatest figures of the artistic Paris scene left strange signatures folded while still wet, revealing 36 skeleton-like ink silhouettes: Edmond Rostand, Georges Feydeau, Sacha Guitry, Maurice Leblanc and Gaston Leroux, Octave Mirbeau, Camille Saint-Saëns, as well as Marcel Proust’s close friends Paul Hervieu, Robert de Flers and Gaston de Caillavet – the latter two were inspirations for the character Robert de Saint-Loup in In Search of Lost Time.
Original ink drawing by Marie-Laure de Noailles, signed "Marie-Laure" within the artwork (appearing twice as a result of folding the paper while the ink was still wet). With an autograph postcard signed to Valentine Hugo, with 2 inscriptions and some parts of the photograph drawn over.
A Rorschach-like Surrealist decalcomania by Marie-Laure de Noailles created for painter and photographer Valentine Hugo, the “Queen of Hearts” of the Surrealists.
Second illustrated edition, comprising 15 engraved plates outside the text. (cf. Kayser, Bücher-Lexicon VI, 265.)
Thirteen plates have been delicately hand-coloured at the time, several set against scenic alpine backgrounds; one of the two uncoloured plates depicts traditional alpine cheesemaking tools.
The French text is printed on the verso of the German text.
Very rare suite presented with its original upper wrapper, housed in a modern black box with flat spine, red morocco title-piece, and a large matching morocco label on the upper cover; light and inconsequential surface wear to the boards.
Some text leaves are toned and trimmed short in the margins; one marginal tear to the uncoloured plate; minor foxing in places.
Despite what the title might suggest (as the author explains in his preface), the work is dedicated to Swiss cattle breeds.
A rare and strikingly complete suite.
Very rare first edition.
This printing does not include the two maps later added by the publisher in the second issue, intended to illustrate the itinerary for readers who had not acquired the atlas (corresponding to plates XVIII and XXIV of the atlas), cf. Hage Chahine 3995. Röhricht 480-481. Chadenat 1712.
The text volume is largely unopened and includes one full-page plate.
The atlas volume, housed in a red full-cloth box and slipcase, is complete with all 27 plates (numbered I to XXVI, XVIII [bis]; plates XIX-XX are printed on a single sheet).
A very fine and rare copy in its original condition.
First edition, with no deluxe paper issue.
A handsome copy, with the promotional leaflet loosely inserted; the verso is creased and shows a tear.
Fine dated and signed presentation inscription from Annie Ernaux to the writer Christiane Baroche: "Pour Christiane,qui m'a fait "naître" dans le bonheur il y a dix ans. Annie. 3/02/84."
First edition of the French translation (cf. Atabey, 557 (text) and 569 (atlas). Blackmer, 788 (atlas). Hage Chahine, 2105.)
Contemporary half brown shagreen, spines uniformly sunned and faded, raised bands framed with black fillets, marbled paper boards, comb-marbled endpapers, gilt edges; a few lightly rubbed corners, one small defect to the foot of the edges of the fifteenth volume.
Some light foxing in the text volumes.
The atlas volume, folio, is issued in parts under ten beige paper wrappers with printed blue labels; the wrapper of part 6 is lacking; the general map of the Ottoman Empire has been restored in the final part; light foxing to the covers.
The original German edition was published in Budapest in ten volumes between 1827 and 1835. The illustrations comprise thirty-nine maps and plans—principally battle plans—prepared by the translator J. J. Hellert. The text includes eight folding genealogical tables of Ottoman princes and high dignitaries.
Joseph von Hammer, a renowned Austrian orientalist and diplomat, was born in Graz (Styria) in 1774. He entered the Royal Academy of Oriental Languages in Vienna, where he studied Turkish, Persian and Arabic. In 1799 he undertook his first journey to Constantinople; the following year he joined the British admiral Sidney Smith in the campaign against the French in Egypt as interpreter and translator. He attended the grand vizier’s council at Jaffa and the surrender of Alexandria. In 1802 he became secretary to the Austrian legation in Constantinople, from which he travelled into Asia Minor and Greece. Posted in 1806 to the consulate-general at Jassy in Moldavia, he was appointed interpreter at the Viennese chancellery in 1807. In 1817 he rose to the rank of court councillor. After inheriting the estates of the Counts of Purgstall, he added their name to his own and was created baron in 1835. He translated numerous oriental works into German and played a major role in the founding of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, serving as its first president from 1848 to 1849. He died in Vienna in 1856. "Aucun orientaliste avant lui n'a connu plus intimement les peuples musulmans et n'a autant contribué à nous faire connaître leurs mœurs, leur histoire et leur littérature […]. Il passa trente ans à réunir les documents [de son Histoire de l'Empire ottoman], qu'il a tirée de manuscrits orientaux et des archives de Saint-Marc à Venise, de celles de Vienne, et de tous les ouvrages publiés en Europe sur l'Empire ottoman" (Hoefer, XXIII, 259-267). Provenance: S. H. Weiss bookshop in Constantinople, located on the Grande Rue de Pera opposite the Russian consulate (label in each text volume).
Rare work.
First edition, illustrated with 39 double-page colour maps.
Publisher’s binding of brown textured cloth backed with matching corners, smooth spine without lettering, showing rubbing with some fraying to the cloth; title stamped to the upper board; marbled endpapers; corners worn. Publisher’s binding.
Scattered, insignificant foxing; the table of contents leaf is creased; a dampstain with discoloration and paper loss to the foot of the rear board.
This is the last of the major general atlases of the French colonies to appear before the upheavals of the Second World War. Through both text and cartography, it offers an exceptionally comprehensive survey of France’s overseas possessions, each geographical area being treated in a separate section (North Africa, French West Africa, French Equatorial Africa, Madagascar and the Mascarenes, Indochina, Oceania, the Antilles, the French Mandate in the Levant), concluding with a substantial index.
The son of the explorer Maurice Grandidier, Guillaume Grandidier (1873–1957) was above all a geographer, and — like his father — a specialist on Madagascar.
Laid in: Study map of the principal transport routes of Central-West Africa (southern Sahara), a large folding map (with significant paper loss along one fold).
A substantially posthumous publication, prepared by Ayres de Sá from the notes and papers of the second Viscount of Santarém (1791–1856), who, in addition to his diplomatic and political roles amid the turbulent struggle between Marianist and Miguelist factions in Portugal, was the first historian to develop the study of cartography in a methodical manner.
The work is illustrated with 97 plates in the first volume and 40 plates in the second.
Cherry half-shagreen bindings with corners, spines with five raised bands framed by black fillets and showing some rubbing, marbled paper sides, a scratch to the left margin of the upper cover of the first volume, endpapers and pastedowns with gilt effects, top edges gilt, original wrappers preserved with minor marginal tears and repairs, corners bumped, bookplates pasted on the pastedowns, contemporary bindings.
Exiled to Paris with Dom Miguel in 1834, he continued his research there, leading to significant cartographical publications.
Autograph inscription by the Viscount of Santarém, a descendant of the author, to José Joaquim Ascenção on the half-title of the first volume.
Autograph letter signed by Albert Camus to his housekeeper or caretaker, "Chère Madame Quentin." One page on a single leaf written in black ink, on NRF letterhead, accompanied by its envelope bearing the autograph address of the recipient. Horizontal crease inherent to the folding of the letter for mailing.
Given that his own mother had been a housekeeper, the writer does not merely concern himself with domestic matters when addressing his employee. He also inquires after the wellbeing of his "Chère Madame Quentin" following her vacation: "I shall be in Paris on Monday or Tuesday at the latest (thus the 31st or the 1st). Could you ask Madame [...] (Pintres?), upon receipt of this letter, to stop forwarding my mail. I hope you were able to rest a little during the month of August and I send you my most faithful regards." (our own translation).
Accompanied by a telegram once again to Mme "Quentin 86 Rue de Varennes," dated "5-59."
Autograph letters signed by Albert Camus are highly sought after today. This one bears witness to the considerate language the writer uses towards Madame Quentin, his housekeeper, a trade he knows intimately through his mother.
First edition, one of 12, 13, or 14 numbered copies on Whatman paper depending on the volume, the only deluxe paper copies. The first three volumes had no limited deluxe paper issue and are from an edition of 3,000 copies each. The Whatman copies are as follows:
- 12 copies for volumes seven, eight, nine, twelve, and thirteen,
- 13 copies for volumes four, five, six, ten, and eleven,
- 14 copies for the final four volumes.
Half dark brown morocco with bands, smooth spines, author, title, and volume numbers tooled in palladium, vellum-style boards, plain endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers preserved for every volume, top edges in palladium (uncut for the Whatman copies), bindings signed by René Kieffer (binder’s stamp and label on the first endpaper of each volume). Head of vol. 2 lightly rubbed.
Copy belonging to Charles Péguy’s collaborator André Bourgeois, administrator of the Cahiers de la quinzaine (literary magazine which published this novel). It exceptionally contains valuable bound-in manuscript notes by Romain Rolland and Péguy.
This exceedingly rare set in first edition is handsomely bound by the great René Kieffer. It contains every volume issued on deluxe paper - these being "deuxième exemplaire de souche", i.e. name copies of the administrator after Charles Péguy's copy and before the printer's.
First edition of this second fascicle, printed in Pondicherry by the Rattinamodeliar Press.
Losses to the cracked backstrip and along the board edges, with a few minor spots.
CCFr records copies only at the BnF (the sole institution to hold a complete run), the Collège de France, and Sainte-Geneviève.
The second of the five fascicles of this exceedingly rare botanical publication: they are devoted respectively to Lawsonia alba [or inermis = henna] and to Aristolochia Indica (Indian birthwort).
First edition of the inaugural instalment printed in Pondicherry at the Rattinamodeliar Press.
Losses to the spine and, more lightly, to the board corners; internally a clean and appealing copy.
Recorded in the CCF with copies only at the BnF (the sole institution holding a complete set), the Collège de France, and Sainte-Geneviève.
The first of five parts of this exceedingly scarce botanical publication, devoted entirely to Lawsonia alba [or inermis = henna].
New edition, partly original, revised, corrected and enlarged.
Bound in full red morocco, spines with five raised bands decorated with gilt garlands and compartments adorned with crowned “LL” monograms, gilt rolls on the caps, triple gilt fillets framing the covers, gilt armorial stamps of Louis XV at the centre of each board, gilt dentelle border on the turn-ins, gilt fillets along the edges, marbled edges. Slightly rubbed corners. Contemporary bindings.
Some leaves slightly yellowed, minor paper flaw on page 101 of the second volume.
Extensive and highly useful table of contents at the end of the second volume. Jean-Antoine Soulatges, lawyer at the Parliament of Toulouse, who died in that city around 1780, was also the author of a Traité des crimes.
A handsome copy, in red morocco, bearing the cipher and arms of Louis XV (OHR pl. 2495, tools 12 and 30).
First edition of the French translation.
Our copy is issued in its original state, preserved in a blue paper temporary wrapper and housed within a double chemise and slipcase in navy half-shagreen, smooth spine, marbled-paper boards; a modern binding signed by Devauchelle.
A rare and appealing copy.
Recorded in the CCF only at the BnF.
Sole edition of this theatrical jeu d’esprit, which bears little relation to China despite the purported setting of the action: "La scène se passe à Pé-King, l’an du monde 100, 857, et de Con-Fou-Tsée 6550". In reality, it is a play about the destructive nature of gambling, for which there was no real need to summon China as a pretext; moreover, the characters speak and behave like perfectly typical French petits bourgeois."
First edition, one of the review copies.
Spine just lightly rubbed.
Inscribed and signed by Patrick Modiano to the writer Christiane Baroche.
Second edition of this monumental work of historiography.
The collation of the text volumes (74 steel-engraved plates) conforms to the list of plates given in volume XX (with the exception of the plate depicting the French before Moscow, which is lacking), but does not match the plate count of the first edition, as certain plates were not reissued. The atlas corresponds to that of the first edition and is complete with its 66 maps.
Some foxing, mainly affecting the edges.
Handsome bindings of red half morocco with corners, the spines with five raised bands and triple blind-ruled compartments, a few minor abrasions without consequence to three spines, marbled paper sides, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt top edges, for the 21 text volumes; and a contemporary binding of red half sheep for the atlas, the smooth spine decorated with gilt fillets and tools, a few black marks to the spine, red paper-covered boards lightly soiled at the margins, corners rubbed.
Original edition reprinted at Smyrna (in reality Versailles), under the supervision of Mr. John Strafford (in fact by Moutardier); (cf. Quérard VI, 576; Drujon, Livres à clefs, I, 625.)
Contemporary half mottled fawn sheep, smooth spine tooled with gilt hatched fillets, brick-coloured sheep lettering-piece, a few small losses to the spine, yellow edges sprinkled with blue.
Sole edition of this manifestly pseudepigraphic and encrypted work, suppressed by order of the Consular government, which accounts for its marked scarcity.
A vehement critique of prevailing political and social institutions; however, it appears very difficult to connect the author with the renowned Lille bookselling dynasty of the same period.
First edition, with no deluxe paper issue.
A small stain to the upper-left margin of the front cover; an attractive copy nonetheless.
Fine dated and signed presentation inscription from Annie Ernaux to the writer Christiane Baroche : "Voilà Christiane, je ne pouvais réellement écrire autre chose... Avec amitié AErnaux 6/01/88."
Rare pre-first edition offprint of Charles de Gaulle's article Les Origines de l'armée française, published in issue 520 of the Revue d'Infanterie in January 1936. This 44-page text will be entirely reprinted two years later as the first chapter of his celebrated work La France et son armée, published by Plon in 1938. Our copy is enriched with an autograph inscription signed by the author "to M. Jean Auburtin": "With profound and faithful friendship. C. de Gaulle."
Blue wrappers slightly sunned at extremities, spine and upper joint rebacked, minor losses to spine, vertical crease probably from mailing, old creases to upper right corners, some ink stains on lower wrapper, old stamp affixed and partially torn on same wrapper.
First edition of the French translation, one of 25 numbered copies on pur fil, the only copies printed on deluxe paper.
Blood red morocco binding, gilt title lenghtwise, black stingray boards framed in morocco, gilt decorative paper endleaves, original wrappers preserved, top edge gilt, an elegant binding signed Boichot. Front free endpaper slightly toned, otherwise a handsome untrimmed copy.
Illustrated with original woodcuts by Jean-Gabriel Daragnès.
First edition of this rare album illustrated with 18 lithographed plates, including the title-frontispiece (see Inventaire du Fonds Français, VII, 243, no. 21).
This unbound suite is housed in a grey cloth chemise and matching modern slipcase, spine unlettered with two tears at head and tail, plain boards, light soiling to the lower board.
Some scattered foxing.
First edition, illustrated with a single folding plate bearing two figures: a plan of Algiers and its surroundings (cf. Quérard IV, 343 : does not record the plate and gives xlviii pp. for the "pièces à l'appui" indeed, p. xlviii carries, like the final leaf, the printer's address. Tailliart 2420 : does not record the plate).
Minor marginal losses to the spine and boards, a few light spots.
"Causes de la rupture avec Alger. Historique des rapports de la France avec Alger. Les torts des représentants d'Alger dans la Régence pendant ces dernières années. Ultimatum. Blocus. Nécessité d'une enquête ou au moins d'une information spéciale avant d'entreprendre une expédition. On va dépenser beaucoup d'argent sans profit. Cette guerre n'est pas juste ; elle n'est pas utile ; elle n'est pas légale" [Tailliart].
The supporting documents include : the Treaty of Peace between France and the Regency of Algiers, 17 December 1801; the letter from Mustapha-Pasha, Dey of Algiers, to the First Consul, 13 August 1802; the settlement concerning the claims of Messrs. Bacri and Busnach of Algiers, followed by the law of 24 July 1820 ordering its execution; a notice on the African concessions; and a summary of the debates held in both Chambers on Algerian affairs during the sessions of 1820, 1827, 1828, and 1829.
Author's signed presentation on the half-title: "De la part de l'auteur, 3 avril 1830" (scarcely more than two months before the French landing in Algeria).
First edition of this periodical, comprising for the complete year 1781 (from 2 January to 28 December) 104 issues, the text printed in two columns with continuous pagination.
Contemporary half calf, mottled fawn, smooth spines decorated with gilt compartment tooling and floral ornaments, beige calf lettering-pieces and blue calf volume labels; minor losses and rubbing to spines and joints, a few scuffs to the blue paper boards, bumped corners, red edges; bindings contemporary to publication.
Transposition of ff. 357–58 and 359–60; initials in black ink and numbering to the endpapers; bookplate affixed and marginally torn in the first volume, another bookplate covered over in the second.
A biweekly periodical founded in June 1776, published until December 1792.
Its contributors included Serres de la Tour, Théveneau de Morande, and Brissot—already well-known publicists and scarcely “ministerial,” as was then said. Printed in England for readerships on both sides of the Channel, though primarily intended to inform a French audience about English institutions, it was avidly read in Paris, especially throughout the Anglo-French war over the American colonies. Along its columns one finds exceptionally rich documentation on that conflict (relative strengths, reports of naval and land engagements, debates in the English Parliament, diplomatic negotiations, etc.). Yet this was not its sole interest: what especially captured French readers of the Courier during this period of anglomania—and what chiefly accounts for the periodical’s value—were its detailed accounts of major English parliamentary sessions, together with numerous articles translated from and drawn from English and American newspapers.
Very rare first edition, illustrated in each volume with a copper-engraved frontispiece by Tardieu after Monnet.
Half black grained cloth bindings, smooth spines decorated with blind fillets, marbled paper boards with light rubbing, sprinkled edges, modest late 19th-century bindings.
Some foxing and a few pale waterstains at the end of the second volume.
This work is an essay whose concerns are strikingly close to our own, though expressed in a very different context.
A founder of French ecological thought, the civil engineer François-Antoine Rauch (1762–1837) demonstrated the direct relationship between deforestation and the increase in extreme weather, calling for the preservation of nature in the interest of humankind. He denounced the large-scale clearing of forests undertaken across continents and advocated the restoration and protection of woodland areas.
In the same spirit, he defended wetlands and marshes, to be made healthy without being drained. The first volume is almost entirely devoted to the dangers and imbalances caused by deforestation; the second focuses on the regeneration of rivers and streams, as well as the drainage of marshes, the whole promoting a return to the “primordial harmony.”
First edition on ordinary paper.
A pleasing copy, with only a few insignificant spots at the foot of the spine.
Warm presentation copy signed by Jean Echenoz to his friend, the writer, screenwriter, and filmmaker Jérôme Beaujour, also a specialist in Marguerite Duras’s cinema: "Pour mon cher Jérôme avec ma vive affection, Jean. 2.VI.10"
First edition, with no deluxe paper issue.
A fine copy.
Dated and signed presentation inscription from Annie Ernaux to the woman of letters Christiane Baroche: "Pour Christiane, très amicalement. Annie. 24/03/93."
Reprint of the 1709 Regensburg edition by the heirs of Mathias Kerner, published under a false imprint (actually printed in Rouen). This copy illustrated with 10 plates (numerous portraits), including 2 folding plates (the procession of the League and the estates of the League) and one in-text illustration. Title pages printed in red and black. Frontispiece repeated in all 3 volumes. Contemporary bindings in full polished calf. Spines with raised bands, richly decorated. Red morocco lettering-pieces and brown morocco volume numbering-pieces. Headcap of volume III restored. Split at head of upper joint of volume I. Paper browned to varying degrees throughout. A handsome, decorative copy. 18th-century armorial bookplate of Louise de Vivier.
Reprint of the early edition, augmented for the first time with Jean Godefroy's notes. It incorporates all previous additions, including those from Duchat's edition.
Among the foundational texts of this late 16th-century collection, the Catholicon is attributed to Pierre le Roy, the verses to Jean Passerat and Pierre Rapin, and the harangues to J. Gillot. This gathering of distinguished and talented men of letters confers considerable literary value upon the pamphlet (the Satire enjoyed successful editions into the 19th century). "At once a comedy, a pamphlet, and a coup d'état, the Satyre Ménippée paved Henry IV's way to the throne" (P. Larousse). The collection of historical, polemical, satirical, and literary texts assembled in the 18th-century editions constitutes the richest testimony to the history of the League.
First edition, totaling 240 numbered copies, ours one of 10 copies on japon à la forme, the deluxe issue, complete at the end of the volume with its additional complete suite of illustrations in black as stated in the limitation.
Illustrated with 17 splendid pochoir plates in black, white, and gold by George Barbier.
A rare and handsome deluxe copy of this George Barbier masterpiece.
A rare first edition, of which no subsequent reprint exists, complete with all his Neo-Latin poems, chiefly composed in Rome. The volume also contains two Greek poems at ff. 60 and 62, together with a poem which inspired the celebrated sonnet Happy he who like Ulysses.
Modern binding in full limp vellum, smooth spine, red edges, white pastedowns and endleaves.
Some defects within: discreet restoration to inner margin of title verso; small tear without loss at foot of ff. 2-3; dampstaining to lower margin of ff. 25-28 and 45-48; minimal marginal defect to f. 44, not affecting text.
Published in March 1558, this precious copy contains four books of Latin poems - Elegiæ, Varia Epigr[ammata], Amores [Faustinae], Tumuli - written by Du Bellay in Rome and Paris between 1553 and 1557. The collection, also referred to as Poemata or Œuvres latines, appeared in the same year as three other works from his Roman period: Les Regrets, Divers Jeux Rustiques, and Les Antiquitez de Rome.
First edition, with no deluxe paper issue.
A well-preserved copy.
Fine dated presentation inscription signed by Annie Ernaux to the writer Christiane Baroche: "Pour Christiane, avec notre vieille amitié, de tendre pensées 'fraternelles' AErnaux 16/01/92."
Very rare first edition of the new laws enacted in 1775 by Catherine II, Empress of Russia, here translated into Turkish for the recently annexed Turkic-speaking provinces taken from the Ottoman Empire.
The work is divided into two parts: the first, dated 12 November 1775, comprises the first 28 chapters (pp. 1–190); the second contains chapters 29 to 31 (pp. 191–248).
Contemporary-style half mottled sheep with small corners, unlettered spine with five raised bands decorated with double gilt fillets and gilt thistle tools, marbled paper boards, red edges, modern binding.
Pale marginal dampstaining to the upper right corner of the initial leaves.
First edition of this splendid lithographed album by A. Bayot, Eugène Cicéri, and Morel Fatio, comprising a lithographed title on a tinted background, a line-engraved map by Avril, and 15 color lithographs on tinted grounds.
Contemporary black half shagreen binding with corners, spine with five raised bands and blind-stamped double fillets, cherry-red shagreen title label (with minor losses) mounted on the upper cover, black paper-covered boards, white moiré silk endpapers and pastedowns, endpapers slightly foxed and creased, all edges gilt, the binding recently restored.
Scattered foxing, a few faint marginal dampstains, one stain at the head of the final plate.