African Poetry and Prose

First edition, one of 20 numbered copies on Japan paper, the deluxe issue.

Spine slightly sunned, otherwise a very good copy.

Preface by Léon Bocquet.

First French edition of this score for voice and piano, the upper wrapper colour-illustrated by Roger de Valério (1886-1951), then the exclusive cover artist for Éditions Salabert. A fine copy.

First edition.

Publisher’s binding, smooth olive-green cloth spine partially faded, upper headcap trimmed, cream boards speckled with pink, bumped corners, shadowed endpapers.

Signed autograph inscription by Thomas Nelson Page at the head of the title page.

Manuscript of 83 leaves of this French–Bunda dictionary, probably unpublished and unsigned.

This manuscript is certainly the first French–Bunda vocabulary (cf. Gay 3068 and Brunet I-1544).

Half red shagreen binding, spine with four raised bands ruled in black, gilt date at foot, minor rubbing to spine, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, contemporary binding.

First edition of one of the most important revolutionary publications against the African slave trade and the first manifesto of the Society of the Friends of the Blacks, founded in February 1788 by Jacques-Pierre Brissot, Étienne Clavière, and Mirabeau, barely nine months after the London Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade, which served as their model.
 

 

First edition on ordinary paper.

Small pale dampstains on the spine.

Inscribed, signed and dated by Maurice Genevoix to Nicole and Philippe Derez.

First edition, for which there was not printed any grand papier (deluxe) copies.
Publisher's binding in full grey cloth.
Illustrations.

Copy complete of its dust jacket illustrated by Jimmy Ernst, the dust jacket being in a poor state with several tears and corners missing.

Very precious handwritten dedication signed by Harriet Janis to Boris Vian: “To Boris Vian with Paris greetings for Rudi Blesh & myself, Harriet Janis. May 1953.”

First edition, a numbered copy on alfa du Marais paper, this one not included in the justification.
Handsome autograph inscription signed and dated by Aimé Césaire to Raymond Queneau: “Très sympathique hommage de ces bucoliques de sang et de soleil... [a very affectionate homage of these bucolics of blood and sunshine...]”
Covers and spine slightly sunned at edges (but not seriously).

Press clipping illustrated with a photograph depicting Josephine Baker on stage.

Horizontal central fold, minor tears of no consequence along the right margin of the clipping.

Inscribed and signed by Josephine Baker in black felt-tip pen a few months before her passing: "A Claude Armand ami de Jospéhine Baker 1975".

First edition, no copies printed on deluxe paper.
Illustrated, a pleasant copy

Precious and very fine autograph inscription, dated and signed by Samuel Mbajum: "Paris, 30 June 2014, au ministre Bernard Kouchner, avec ma sympathie pour votre combat humanitaire, en espérant que vous m'aiderez à plaider le plus largement possible la cause de ces oubliés de l'histoire franco-africaine, et aussi des débats sur la commémoration de la Grande Guerre."

Photographic portrait of Erroll Garner, seated at his piano.

A fine copy.

Inscribed and signed by Erroll Garner in blue ink in the upper left margin of the photograph.

Provenance: from the collection of the renowned autograph collector Claude Armand.

First edition of the French translation of England, The United States and the Southern Confederacy, originally published the previous year in London (Sabin 76968).

Copy belonging to the philosopher Charles Renouvier (1815–1903), with a manuscript presentation inscription at the head of the front wrapper.

Spine cracked with small losses and tears. Some light foxing; slight marginal tears to the wrappers.

First edition of these extremely scarce memoirs (cf. Bourquelot V, 374. Tulard 1007. Bertier de Sauvigny 720).

Contemporary bindings in brown half sheep, flat spines decorated with gilt Romantic rolls and black floral tools, red morocco labels for volume numbers and titles, marbled paper-covered boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, some corners worn, marbled edges.

Spine of volume four damaged, restorations to the spines, two lower caps rubbed, occasional foxing.

The Countess Merlin was born Maria de las Mercedes de Santa Cruz y Montalvo (1789–1852) in Havana.

Her memoirs offer valuable anecdotal insight into society life in Cuba, the Peninsular War, and...

First edition, exceptionally rare, of this magnificent album of views of Guadeloupe, illustrated with twelve lithographs executed by Émile Vernier after drawings by Armand Budan: an engraved title-frontispiece and eleven plates, including a large folding panoramic view of Pointe-à-Pitre.

Large folio (39.6 × 54 cm). Collation: 3 unnumbered leaves comprising the title, preface and half-title Karukera, pp. [3]-44, one blank leaf, the lithographic title-frontispiece and eleven lithographic plates.

Second edition of the French translation, complete with its folding map at the beginning of the volume.

Scattered light foxing, otherwise a well-preserved copy.

Preface by Édouard René Lefebvre de Laboulaye.

Bound in contemporary chocolate-brown half morocco, spine with five raised bands ruled in black, double blind fillets framing the marbled paper boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, red top edge, slightly rubbed corners, bookplate affixed to a pastedown.

French translation of The Lost Continent: or, Slavery and the Slave Trade in Africa by the Quaker abolitionist Joseph Cooper (1800–1881).

The work is of particular interest for its early...

First edition, illustrated with four plates including a map of the Sudan.

The plates depict human types and a map of Sudan, drawn "according to the Negro slaves in Bahia".

Modern Bradel binding in black half shagreen, smooth spine decorated with two gilt floral tools, gilt date at foot, marbled paper boards, original wrappers preserved (small hole on rear board).

A naturalist and explorer, Francis de Castelnau undertook, between 1843 and 1847, a major expedition across South America, notably visiting Peru and Brazil.

In 1848, he was appointed French consul in Bahia. Upon his arrival, he observed that several African-born slaves could read and write Arabic and...

New edition, partly original as revised, of this study first published in 1858 in the Revue des Deux Mondes (Sabin 40127. Ryckebusch 5041).

Minor chips to the corners of the covers, some occasional foxing.

A member of one of the oldest families in Martinique, Romuald Le Pelletier de Saint-Rémy (1809–1882) served as president of the Central Agency of Colonial Banks; he wrote extensively on West Indian issues and colonial ventures in South America.

Inscribed by the author Romuald Le Pelletier de Saint-Rémy on the front free endpaper.

Very rare first edition of this excellent grammar.

A few occasional spots, otherwise a pleasing copy.

Contemporary-style binding in half forest green morocco-grained shagreen, spine with five raised bands, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers, binding signed by Laurenchet.

The third part contains fables, tales, and poems in both Wolof and French.

Abbé David Boilat (Saint-Louis, Senegal, 1814 – Nantouillet, 1901), a missionary in Senegal, left behind a significant body of work: this grammar, the Esquisses sénégalaises, and several unpublished manuscripts.

First edition, one of 120 numbered copies on Lafuma pure wove paper, the only large-paper issue.

Endpapers very slightly and marginally toned, two small tears at foot of spine.

A rare and much sought-after copy in original state.

First edition of Anne Guérin's French translation, for which no deluxe copies were issued; one of the review copies.

A small, unobtrusive nick to the head of the spine.

Introduction by Daniel Guérin.

An attractive copy, complete with the publisher's printed notice.

Second edition, with a thousand-copy statement.

Spine warped and faded, small tears without consequence to the margins of the covers, a pale dampstain at the foot of the final leaves, occasional foxing.

Rare signed and dated autograph inscription from Joseph Zobel to Madame de Bruycker: "... ce premier reflet de ma province antillaise..."

Rare first edition for which no large-paper copies were printed, one of the press copies.
Spine and boards lightly sunned as usual, a few light dampstains to the spine.
Illustrated with 32 photographic plates.
Precious autograph inscription signed by Michel Leiris to Gabrielle Gras, a discreet yet prolific critic for the Revue Europe, close to Surrealist circles and to numerous writers and artists.

First edition, one of 210 numbered copies on Sirène, the only large-paper copies.
A fine copy.

First edition, one of 55 numbered copies on mould-made Arches wove paper, the only deluxe issue.

Rear cover slightly and marginally sunned, very faint offsetting to the head and foot of the endpapers.

First edition on ordinary paper.

A pleasing copy, complete with its illustrated dust jacket.

Important presentation copy inscribed by Romain Gary to the jeweller Alexandre Reza: "To Alexandre Reza, in memory of the precious stones of our youth. Romain Gary, 1 December 1970."

Loosely inserted in a folded sheet of tracing paper is an original colour drawing by the jeweller Alexandre Reza depicting a ring and captioned 'Jonquille" No. 33'

First edition, one of 30 numbered copies on vergé pur fil, the only large-paper copies.
"Collection Goncourt" ex-libris pasted to a flyleaf.

"When Batouala was first published in Paris a half-century ago, it was not only an event of major literary importance, but also a turning point in both the intellectual and political history of contemporary Africa. A creation of Rene Maran, an Afro-Caribbean who had years of direct experience in Africa as an employee of France's colonial service, Batouala was the first great novel about Africa by a Black writer." (Donald E. Herdeck...

First edition of the French translation, one of the ordinary issue copies, as no deluxe paper copies were produced.

A very good copy.

Signed autograph inscription from Richard Wright to Pierre Descaves.

Later edition on ordinary paper.

Illustrated wrappers.
Illustrations.
Spine slightly split as is often the case, a few minor marginal tears to the covers, the paper inevitably toned owing to the poor quality of this post-war stock.
Inscribed, dated and signed by Marcel Sauvage to Mr. Berthet.

First edition, one of 50 copies numbered on alfa paper, the only deluxe paper issue.

Bound in full beige sheepskin, spine ruled in black, gilt date at foot, minor rubbing to the edges of the boards, marbled endpapers, covers and spine preserved, top edge gilt.

Pencil annotations relating to the reading of the work.

Gift inscription by a former member of the José Corti publishing house: "A monsieur Marchaux en témoignage de sympathie ce tout premier livre publié par José Corti."

Above all else Damas's writing theatened conventional society. This pamphlet Retour de Guyane was bought in big numbers by the colonial authorities and burnt.

First edition, one of 25 numbered copies on pur fil, the only deluxe copies.

A rare and fine copy.

"A thunderclap of a title, a bitter draught that rings out like "Blue Note" in jazz, like "Cuba libre" among Caribbean cocktails. Damas, the stammerer, sings of solitude, the fear of being abandoned by the woman he loves and waits for, the sorrow and cowardice of "whitening," as do the jazz musicians he venerates" (Kathleen Gyssels)

First edition, one of 50 numbered copies on alfa paper, the only copies issued on deluxe paper.

A rare and handsome copy.

First edition, one of 50 numbered copies on vélin pur chiffon de lana, the only deluxe issue.

A fine copy, with a small nick at the head of the spine between the author's name and the title.

Presentation copy, inscribed by Patrick Chamoiseau to Maurice Marchaux: "... cette mémoire-langage qui invoque toutes les langues du monde. Avec mes amitiés créoles..." [this memory language invoking all of the world's languages] with a sketch formed from his initials.

Later edition.

Publisher's full green cloth binding, smooth spine, copy complete with its illustrated dust jacket which shows a few small tears and minor losses.

The verso of the front panel of the dust jacket shows an angular loss affecting the printed price.

Dated and signed autograph inscription from Richard Wright to Ganan Bocca.

First edition, for which no copies were issued on deluxe paper, this being one of the publisher’s review copies.

A small tear at the head of the upper cover, a crease at the foot of the lower.

A pleasing copy, complete with its promotional band.

Dated and signed autograph inscription by René Depestre to the writer Christiane Baroche.

Vezry rare first edition.

Jesuit library stamp to the half-title, a few minor spots of foxing, slight tears to the head and tail of the spine.

First edition of this pamphlet, directed in part against Mormonism (cf. Sabin 2797).

Illustrated with a folding lithographed map of the United States, inserted as a plate.

Spine cracked with small losses and tears at the joints; library shelf label pasted at the foot of the upper wrapper; small corner tears to the wrappers.

This booklet also considers the relations between Christians and the indigenous inhabitants, as well as with the African population brought to the United States through the cupidity of the citizens of the Old World. A good copy.

Photographic postcard depicting Lionel Hampton in the 1960s–70s playing the vibraphone.

A handsome copy.

Signed by Lionel Hampton in blue felt-tip pen on the verso of the photograph.

Provenance: from the collection of the renowned autograph collector Claude Armand.

First edition with no mention of deluxe copies.
Handsome copy complete with its illustrated dust jacket.
Dated and signed autograph inscription from Alain Mabanckou to a photographer named Valérie, enhanced with a self-portrait face drawing.

First edition of the French translation, by Raymond Queneau, of Nigerian author Amos Tutuola’s first novel. One of 86 copies on Lafuma-Navarre pur fil wove paper, the only deluxe issue.

A fine copy.

First edition, one of 120 numbered copies on holland paper, deluxe copy.
Very handsome copy.
Autograph inscription signed by André Malraux to his friends Minka and Karl-Hans [Strauss] enhanced with two small drawings in red and blue ink representing cats.
Minka, a Rothschild descendant, and Karl-Hans Strauss, were important patrons and collectors of art and music close to André Malraux. Their correspondence seems to reveal that in the 1970s the elderly writer was hunting around the world, with his last companion Sophie de Vilmorin, for works for their collection. At the end of his life, he thus rediscovered this youthful passion that inspired his first work...

First edition for which was no grand papier (deluxe) copy.
Pleasant copy of this work which received the Prix Fémina in 1984.
Rare and precious handwritten inscripttion, dated and signed by Tchicaya U Tam'si to Régine Deforges: “Pour Régine Deforges qui a écrit quelques mots que j'aurais voulu mettre en guise de dédicace mais ma mémoire est moins fidèle que moi. à elle toute la poésie de ce 'roman'.” (“For Régine Deforges who wrote some words that I would have liked to include as a dedication but my memory is less faithful than me. To her, all the poetry of this 'novel'.”)

Provenance: from the library of Régine...