Exceptional Autographs

9-page signed autograph manuscript, dense handwriting.
Review of the play Les Sentiers de la vertu, comedy in 3 acts, with Robert de Flers, performed at the Théâtre des Nouveautés, December 7, 1903.
Accompanied by two interesting signed autograph letters addressed to M. Melchissedec. The first refers to his future musical participation in a celebration given in honor of Victor Hugo on February 27, 1881. The second deplores, following this same performance, the fact that M. Melchissedec did not receive the photograph commissioned from Carjat by Hugo and promised in thanks for his participation.

First edition, one of 50 numbered copies on vélin supérieur, tirage de tête.
A handsome autograph inscription from Roger Caillois to Georges Hugnet : "... ce vocabulaire esthétique où je fais pénitence..."
A good copy.

First edition on ordinary paper; there were only five extremely rare large paper copies printed on China paper.
Half brown morocco Bradel binding by T. Boichot, gilt date to foot of spine, marbled paper boards, covers (with skillful marginal repairs) and spine preserved, top edge gilt.
Autograph inscription from Villiers de l'Isle-Adam to Victor Wilder, the poetic translator of the works of Richard Wagner.
The inscription records the friendship of the two men, which developed most of all in their collaboration on the Wagnerian review until 1888. A very good copy in a good binding.

Edition illustrated with original tailpieces and vignettes by Jean-Gabriel Daragnès engraved on wood, one of 250 numbered copies on Arches vellum, the only edition with 30 various Japan.
Publisher's binding in full flexible boards covered with watered paper, title vignette pasted on the front cover.

Precious and fine autograph inscription from J.-G. Daragnès to André Gide who signed twice (in black ink then in blue ballpoint pen).

A tiny lack at the foot of one joint, handsome copy.

First edition, one of 290 numbered copies on pure thread paper, ours one of 20 hors commerce copies specially printed for Alin Laubreaux.
Light worming of no consequence to the final endpaper and to some deckled edges, handsome full-margined copy.
Very fine full-page autograph inscription signed by the author to Alin Laubreaux: "...vous avez vu naître ce livre, vous l'avez aidé à vivre, il vous appartient presqu'autant qu'à son père. Mais son père vous aime comme un fils et c'est tendrement mon petit Alin qu'avec un air bougon il vous serre sur son coeur..." ["...you have seen this book come to life, you have helped it to live, it belongs to you almost as much as to its father. But its father loves you like a son and it is tenderly my little Alin that with a gruff air he holds you to his heart..."]
Born in New Caledonia, Alin Laubreaux was a writer and journalist principally known for his theatrical reviews published in the ultra-collaborationist, anti-Semitic and fascist newspaper Je suis partout.
Hated by a good part of the Parisian artistic milieu, he was publicly slapped in June 1941 by Jean Marais whom he had called "l'homme au Cocteau entre les dents" after having savaged the playwright's latest play La machine à écrire. The scene was freely adapted by Louis Malle in his Le Dernier Métro. Alin Laubreaux was also accused of having played a significant role in the arrest by the Gestapo, then in the deportation of the poet Robert Desnos whom he execrated and who had also slapped him some years earlier. At the Liberation, he fled to Spain and was condemned to death in absentia in 1947.

First edition on ordinary paper, only 100 copies were printed on Arches laid paper as deluxe copies.
Autograph inscription signed by Maurice Denis to Jacques-Emile Blanche: " à Jacques Blanche en toute sympathie d'art, et peut-être de pensée..." ["to Jacques Blanche with all artistic sympathy, and perhaps of thought..."]
Minimal worming on the endpapers.

The second edition, published in the same year as the first.
Half indigo cloth Bradel binding over marbled paper boards by Champs, gilt fleuron to spine, date to foot, navy blue shagreen title-label (very lightly rubbed) covers and spine preserved (upper cover with light scratching where someone has scraped away at the edition statement).
Handsome autograph inscription signed by Hippolyte Taine to Sainte-Beuve.
A good copy with practically no spotting.

First edition on ordinary paper, false statement of edition.
Spine slightly warped with two small tears reattached at head and foot, light marginal foxing on some pages.
Precious autograph inscription signed by the author to Max Jacob: "...au plus ingénieux des poètes / au délicieux Max Jacob / ce livre qu'il eut la bonté de désirer lire..." ["...to the most ingenious of poets / to delightful Max Jacob / this book which he was kind enough to wish to read..."]

First edition, one of 1000 numbered copies on white vellum, the only printing with 75 copies on celestial blue paper.
The work illustrated with tailpieces designed by O. Tamburi.
Spine slightly sunned, otherwise handsome copy.
Precious signed autograph inscription from Georges Hugnet to Man Ray and his wife: "...à Juliette / à Man / pour leur rappeler que j'existe et que je suis toujours leur ami fidèle. Georges..." ["...to Juliette / to Man / to remind them that I exist and that I am always their faithful friend. Georges..."]

First edition, one of 100 numbered advance (service de presse) copies on alfa du Marais paper.
Half brown morocco Bradel binding over marbled paper boards by P. Goy & C. Vilaine, gilt date to foot of spine, yellow paper endpapers and pastedowns , advertising band preserved and mounted on guards.
A rare and poetic autograph inscription from Aimé Césaire to the Pataphysician Maurice Saillet.
Light dampstain to foot of covers, a trace of folding to upper cover, foxing to covers and the first few leaves.
A nicely bound copy.

First edition on ordinary paper, falsely stated third edition, qui fut utilisée pour le service de presse, il n'a été tiré que 5 Hollande en grands papiers.
Handsome full-page autograph inscription, dated, from the author to Marguerite Burnat-Provins.
Two tiny lacks, not serious, to head and to foot of the spine, clear stains to lower cover, occasional foxing.

First edition, an advance (service de presse) copy.
Half cherry-red morocco over marbled paper boards by Goy & Vilaine, spine in six compartments, marbled pastedowns and endpapers, covers (slightly wormed, spine sunned) preserved, top edge gilt. Endpapers and half-title faded, a few small marginal spots.
Important inscription from Colette to Viscountess Jeanne de Bellune: « Affectueux souvenir de sa vieille amie » (“affectionate remembrance from her old friend...”)

The Viscountess of Juromenha, this end of century darling, was the lover of several intellectual female figures in the early 20th century, such as Renée Vivien and Liane de Pougy, who described her as “little gnome”. There remains no image of this “most comical lesbian”(Jacques Ars) in public collections and the only portrait we know of is that sketched by Natalie Clifford Barney, that of a “drunkard with a red face and no beauty”.

A handsome copy in a nice binding with an exceptional provenance.

First edition, an advance (service de presse) copy.
An important inscription from Colette to her friend Louise Vallée "... à la chatte grise rayée et à madame Louise Vallée...[to the stripy grey cat and to Madame Louise Vallée]"
Spine faded, a small stain to upper cover, endpapers and half title sunned, otherwise internally good.

First edition in French, translated by Willy; no mention of large paper copies.
An important, superb inscription from Meg Villars, Willy's mistress while he was married to Colette, to Viscountess Jeanne de Bellune "... pour mon amie Jeannot de Bellune / en souvenirs de plaisirs (qu'on ose à peine qualifier de champêtres) partagés à Monte-Carlo...[for my friend Jeannot de Bellune / in memory of shared pleasures (that one would hardly dare call rural) in Monaco…].”
Cover illustrated in red by Garnier Salbreux.
A handsome copy with an exceptional provenance.

First edition.

Rare handwritten inscription from Josef Pankiewicz to [Moïse] Kisling.
Illustrations. Three light, minor snags at the top of the spine, tiny marginal tears without pieces missing at the top of the first board, otherwise pleasant copy.

In 1906, Pankiewicz was appointed professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. Notably, one of his pupils was Moïse Kisling whom he encouraged to abandon sculpture in favor of painting. He introduced the young man to French painting and more specifically Cézanne and Renoir. In 1910, on the advice of his mentor, Kisling – aged nineteen years old – left Poland for Paris where he quickly became a significant figure of Parisian artistic life.

First edition.
Contemporary half chocolate shagreen binding, spine with four raised bands showing minor rubbing, decorated with gilt dots and fleurons, gilt initials at foot, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns.
Precious autograph inscription from the author to (Jules) Barbey d'Aurevilly.
Minor scattered foxing affecting mainly the first leaves.

First edition, one of the Service de Presse (advance) copies.
Precious and superb autograph inscription by the author to Moïse Kisling.
Frontispiece portrait of André Breton by Man Ray. Spine and covers slightly faded at margins, light spotting to head of front cover.

First edition on ordinary paper.
Ecstatic autograph inscription signed full-page by the author to Robert Desnos : "Merde / Robert Desnos".
Spine faded repaired, first cover lined with small marginal repairs, lower cover missing.
A precious relic.

First edition of 1000 numbered copies on bouffant paper.
Handsome autograph inscription from Jean-Michel Atlan to André Lhote enriched with a drawing of three strange human silhouettes with shades.
Illustrated by the author.
A rare and good copy.

First edition, one advance (service de presse) copy.
Handsome autograph inscription signed by the author to Robert Desnos.
Light and rare foxings on the upper cover, a good copy.

First edition pour each volume, there was no mention of large paper copies.
Rare autograph inscription from Jules Barbey D'Aurevilly, in pencil, to a close friend : "à Hervé/ Inoubliable - inoublié" in the first volume.
Spine of first volume cracked, a joint fragile, ex-dono in ink to head of upper cover of the second volume, a few small spots.

First edition, one of 145 numbered in the press copies, the only printing along with 5 Arches.
Autograph inscription from Paul Desmeth to his friends Lucien and Jérome Becker.
A good and rare copy of the author's first book.

MARINETTI Filippo Tommaso
Le Roi Bombance [The Feasting King]
Mercure de France, Paris 1905, 11,5 x 18,5 cm, half black shagreen
First edition on ordinary paper.
Half black shagreen, marbled boards, pastedowns and endpapers, wrappers preserved.
Handsome autograph inscription from Filippo-Tommaso Marinetti to Pierre Mortier, with in front, his address in Milan.
$ 1 250

First French edition, the first having appeared the year before in Brussels, published by Lebègue.
Half navy blue shagreen over marbled paper boards, spine (very slightly faded) in six compartments a little rubbed (but not significantly), marbled endpapers and pastedowns.
A very rare autograph inscription signed by Henry Murger to his friend Michel Carré on half-title.
A tiny lack at the center of one pastedowns, a little light insignificant foxing, marginal trace of a label to half-title.

First edition, an advance (service de presse) copy.
Half navy blue Bradel binding over marbled paper boards by T. Boichot, date to foot of spine, covers and spine preserved (wormholes to edges), top edge gilt.
Handsome autograph inscription signed by Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes to Aldous Huxley.
With a frontispiece portrait of the author.

First edition, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
Precious autograph inscription from Francis Carco to his friend the Montmartre painter J.G. Daragnès, with the latter's bookplate pasted to the verso of the front cover.
Work illustrated with reproductions of medieval woodcuts.
A fragile tear at the head of the half-title page where the inscription appears.

First edition on ordinary paper.
Handsome autograph inscription from the author to Colette.
Spine faded as usual, two small glued tears to head and to foot of a joint, a leave badly cut by the dedicatee with small marginal lacks.

First edition of this anthology of Russian poetry presented by P. Collin, of which no deluxe copies were issued.
Bradel binding in full saffron cloth, smooth spine decorated with a gilt floral motif, date at foot, saffron shagreen title-label with a small trace of rubbing, contemporary binding.
Precious autograph inscription signed by Paul Collin: "Au grand poète Leconte de Lisle respectueux hommage d'un admirateur." (To the great poet Leconte de Lisle respectful homage from an admirer.)

First edition of this booklet printed in a very small number.
Autograph inscription signed by the author to the poet Alexandre de Saint-Léger.
A very small insignificant stain on the first cover, otherwise a rare and handsome copy.

The first edition, of which there were no deluxe copies, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
Precious autograph inscription signed by Henri-Louis Ailleret to Maurice Blanchot.
Gift inscription at the head of the first text page.

First edition on ordinary paper.
Precious signed autograph inscription from Des Courières to Pierre Drieu la Rochelle.
Fascicle illustrated with an unpublished portrait of the artist by himself engraved on wood by G. Aubert as well as 30 reproductions of C. Orloff's works.
Spine sunned.

First edition on ordinary paper.
Precious signed autograph inscription from Pierre Guegen to Pierre Drieu la Rochelle.
Fascicle illustrated with 32 reproductions of the artist's works. Worming to covers and endpapers, copy detached.
Precious relic.

First edition on ordinary paper.
Our copy contains an autograph letter of one page signed and dated by the author.
Handsome copy.

First edition under Floury's reissue label, one of 240 numbered copies on England paper, the only deluxe copies with 32 Japan copies.
Precious autograph inscription from Eugène Montfort to Octave Mirbeau.
Two small lacks at head and foot of spine, a tiny marginal lack to front board, occasional worming affecting mainly the final endpaper, otherwise handsome interior condition.

Autograph manuscript dated, 12 pages, complete, with autograph additions, deletions and corrections by the author.