Exceptional Autographs

First edition on ordinary paper.
Small spots, not serious, to head of the covers and the endpaper.
Handsome autograph inscription signed by Jean Cocteau to his friend Francis Poulenc : "A Francis Poulenc qui est musique son Jean."

Autograph letter signed by Charles Baudelaire, written in ink and addressed to his mother. A few underlinings, deletions, and authorial corrections.
This letter was first published in Charles Baudelaire, Dernières lettres inédites à sa mère in 1926.
Former collection of Armand Godoy, no. 197.

A precious letter from Baudelaire's Brussels period, during the poet's voluntary exile at the end of his life.

« Il est douteux que j'habite quelque part à Paris. Je crois que j'habiterai surtout une voiture dans laquelle je ferai, si je peux, toutes mes courses en un ou deux jours. » Haunted by...

Autograph letter signed by Charles Baudelaire, written in pencil and addressed to his mother. Dry-stamped stationery of the Grand Hôtel Voltaire, Faubourg Saint-Germain. Address to Madame Aupick in Honfleur (Calvados) in the author's hand, together with several postal markings dated 13 and 14 July 1858. Several underlinings, deletions and corrections by Baudelaire. Trace of a wax seal bearing Charles Baudelaire's initials in pencil, probably in the author's hand. A small portion of the second leaf has been excised, with no loss of text.
This letter was first published in the Revue de Paris on 15 September 1917.
From the former collection of...

First edition, one of 500 copies, no grand papier (deluxe issue) copies.
Half morocco binding, spine with five raised bands, marbled paper boards framed in gilt, mould made flyleaves and pastedowns, original wrapper covers preserved, binding signed by Thomas Boichot.
Handsome copy signed and inscribed by Paul Verlaine to Émile Le Brun to whom Verlaine dedicated one of his poems (Dédicaces, sonnet XVI). 
This copy includes manuscript corrections by Paul Verlaine himself and an exceptional manuscript poem on page 123.
A nice copy, elegantly bound, containing the first printing of the famous Art poétique [

First edition.

Black half morocco binding, spine with four raised bands adorned with gilt dotted fillets and double gilt compartments decorated at the corners, gilt date and the inscription "Ex. de J. Drouet" at the tail, marbled paper boards and endpapers, preserved covers and spine, top edge gilt, binding signed by René Aussourd.
Some minor foxing, mainly at the beginning and end of the volume.

Precious signed and inscribed copy by Victor Hugo to Juliette Drouet, the great love of his life: ‘To you, my lady. Humble homage. V.'

This copy comes from the library of Pierre Duché, who acquired Juliette Drouet's entire...

Touching handwritten letter signed by Georges Bataille to Denise Rollin, 37 lines in pencil, small water stain in the top right not affecting the text.
Georges Bataille tries to reassure his companion Denise Rollin: “Je t'en supplie. Il ne faut pas t'inquiéter, mais pas du tout.” “I beg you. You must not worry, not at all.” She moved to Vézelay where Bataille would soon join her. He stayed in Paris where the bombings did not disrupt Parisian lives at all: “Tu n'imagines point à quel point les petits dégâts qu'on voit paraissent insignifiants à côté de la place intacte qu'il y a de tous les côtés. Pendant toute l'alerte, j'ai déjeuné bien tranquille avec mon chef de...

First edition on current paper.

Illustrated book of 6 vignettes by André Derain.
Very discreet restorations on the back and the boards of covers, tiny angular gaps in heads of the very first leaflets.
Precious autograph dedication signed by Antonin Artaud: "To my dear friend André Lhote the only living writer who knows how to speak about painting in a poetic and superior sense."

First definitive editions, partly original.
Bound in red half-shagreen with corners, spine with four raised bands decorated with blind-stamped panels and fillets, the entwined monogram of Jules Hetzel at the foot, uncut copy, contemporary binding.
A few occasional spots of foxing.
Inscribed by the author to Jules Hetzel, “as a token of the author’s friendship.”

In the 1840s, Balzac “contributed to a collective volume illustrated with Grandville’s vignettes, Scènes...

Autograph letter signed in black ink, addressed to his mother and dated “Sunday morning the 14th.” A few underlinings, deletions and corrections by the author.
Formerly in the collection of Armand Godoy, n°188.
A fading Baudelaire: “The state of disgust in which I find myself makes everything seem even worse.”
Drawn by the promise of epic fame, Baudelaire went to Belgium in April 1864 for a few conferences and in the hope of a fruitful meeting with the publishers of Les Misérables, Lacroix and Verboeckhoven. The meeting didn't...

First edition, one of the press service copies.
Precious signed autograph inscription from Paul Éluard to Benjamin Fondane.
Spine with three small expertly repaired tears, of no consequence.
A moving dedication from poet to poet, written on the eve of the war during which the two friends would contribute together to poetic resistance journals such as l'Honneur des poètes.
The deportation and death of Fondane in 1944, along with many other artist and poet friends, would profoundly affect Éluard, who composed in their memory a magnificent poetic tribute, "Eternité de ceux que je n'ai pas revus," listing the names of each of the departed:
"Visages...

First edition.
Bound in red half Russia with corners, spine with four raised bands gilt-ruled and decorated with double gilt panels, date in gilt at foot within a compartment, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, rare wrappers and spine preserved, top edge gilt, uncut, binding signed by Bernasconi.
The catalogue leaf of Victor Hugo’s works is present. A few folding creases to some leaves.

Mounted opposite the definitive version printed on p. 223 is a precious autograph poem by Victor Hugo, entitled “La pauvre...

First edition, one of 150 numbered copies on Hollande, the only deluxe issue copies after 5 on Japon.
A very fine copy, as issued, with an important manuscript document by Elme-Marie Caro, 1 page in ink on a double leaf, undated [1887 ?].
Maupassant's last novel Notre Coeur is also one of his most autobiographical. The writer was strongly influenced in this piece by famous literary and artistic "Salons" held by high society women, which he frequently attended. The novel confronts a man of letters with one of these strong-headed women of late 19th-century Paris. He describes the main character Michèle de Burne as "a woman of refinement, of indeterminate...

Partly first edition, gathering the most famous speeches by Victor Hugo, including some of his most memorable addresses delivered at the tribune of the Legislative Assembly—most notably the speech on constitutional revision and the powerful plea he gave at the trial of his son, on 11 June 1851, before the Cour d'assises of the Seine, in defense of the inviolability of human life. Spurious mention of “eighth edition.”
Complete with the rare portrait of the author by Masson printed on China paper, as frontispiece.
Scattered occasional foxing.
Precious inscribed copy signed by Victor Hugo to Juliette Drouet : « à mon pauvre...

First edition, an ordinary paper copy.
Contemporary green half shagreen, marbled paper boards, spine with five raised bands and gilt flowers, speckled edges.
With the autograph signatures of every author of the "Médan group" involved in the writing of this famous collection of short stories: Guy de Maupassant, Emile Zola, Joris-Karl Huysmans, Léon Hennique, Paul Alexis and Henri Céard on the first endpaper.
A very good and rare copy in a strictly contemporary binding.

First edition, one of 100 numbered copies on vellum, ours unnumbered, the only deluxe papers after 15 copies on Japon.
Illustrated with a frontispiece drawing by Salvador Dalí.
Precious signed autograph presentation from Paul Eluard to René Char : « Exemplaire de mon ami René Char. Paul Eluard. »

First edition on ordinary paper, issued after the destruction of the 1923 printing following a dispute between Tzara and the publisher.
Double autograph inscription, signed and dated by Tristan Tzara, first to Paul Éluard – « à Paul Éluard. Tristan Tzara. Juillet 1929 » – then, after striking through this initial dedication, to René Char in September 1934: « à René Char avec toute l'amitié grande de Tristan Tzara ». This second inscription is further embellished with a small drawing by Tzara, a hand pointing with its index finger to Char’s name.

First edition on ordinary paper, despite a false statement of third edition.
Handsome copy signed and inscribed by Marcel Proust to René Boylesve.
Housed in a half kaki morocco over marbled paper boards chemise and slipcase (with flaps), spine very slighlty faded with gilt inscriptions of provenance at foot, lined with light green paper.
One very pale angular dampstain.
Provenance : Heilbronn's library, with his ex-libris.

First edition, an advance (service de presse) copy.

Three small wormholes and a clear dampstain to margin of upper cover, one joint cracked at foot.
Retaining its prière d'insérer. 
Very precious and moving autograph inscription signed and dated by Maurice Blanchot to his mother and sister: "Personne ne reçoit tant de Dieu que celui qui est entièrement mort. Saint Grégoire. Pour sa chère maman et sa vieille Marg, en toute affection. Maurice [No one receives God so fully as someone who is entirely dead. Saint Gregory. For his darling mother and old Marg, with all love. Maurice]."

The first edition, an advance [service de presse] copy.
A fine inscription from Jean Cocteau to Jean-Paul Sartre: “son ami de tout cœur [your true friend].”
Despite not being of the same generation, and despite everything that could have separated them, Jean Cocteau and Jean-Paul Sartre were friendly in the late 40s and early 50s. When Sartre died, Jean Marais evoked their regular telephone calls and dinners with endless, wonderful discussions.
The two also worked together for recognition for Jean Genet and in July 1948 published an open letter together in Combat, addressed to the President of France, Vincent Auriol, urging the release from...