First World War

First edition, one of 70 numbered copies on pur fil paper, the deluxe issue after 25 hors commerce copies on Holland paper reserved for the Cercle lyonnais.

Rare and fine copy.

Autograph poem by Louis Aragon, signed and dated 31 March 1915. Fourteen lines written in pencil on a single leaf, with unpublished autograph calculations on the verso. Published in 2008 by Michel Apel-Muller in Le Continent Aragon, special issue of L’Humanité, 2008, p. 17, and reissued under the title “Poème” in Le Rayonnement international d’Aragon, Strasbourg, coll. “Recherches croisées Aragon / Elsa Triolet”, no. 16, 2018, p. 251. Numerous traces of handling, with vertical and horizontal folds that have caused minor paper losses, without affecting the text. 

A precious fragment of literary history...

First edition of the French translation by Isabelle Rivière, one of 33 numbered copies on pur fil de Voiron, ours being one of 5 hors commerce copies, reimposed in quarto Tellière format, the only deluxe copies.

A handsome and rare copy.

First edition on ordinary paper.

A small nick on the spine, slightly split at the foot.
Precious signed autograph inscription from Jean Giraudoux to André Gide: "... avec gratitude..."

First edition with all first printing  features, one of the press copies.

Exceptional presentation copy inscribed by the author to the famous singer Yvette Guilbert, to whom Céline himself sang and offered one of his scandalous compositions, “Katika la putain,” [Katika the Whore] later renamed “À Nœud coulant” [With a Slipknot"] "A madame Yvette Guilbert en témoignage de ma profonde admiration. LFCéline.” 

Beneath Céline's inscription, the actor Fabrice Luchini added: “A Yvette Guilbert in memoriam. FLuchini” ; and on the half-title, actor Jean-François Balmer wrote in turn: “Merci en bon...

First edition, one of 50 numbered copies on alfa paper, the only deluxe copies.
Bound in red half shagreen with corners, spine with four raised bands framed by blind fillets, sides covered in gilt-effect paper, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers and spine preserved, top edge gilt on witnesses.
A handsome copy in an attractive binding.

First edition, one of 110 numbered copies on Marais vellum, ours unnumbered but duly justified at the foot of each spine "Marais" and watermarked, the only copies printed on deluxe paper.

A tear to the upper right corner of the rear cover of the last volume.
Handsome complete set in 6 volumes; the author deliberately halted the writing of this work, which deals as much with history as with military history and was originally intended to comprise ten volumes.

Card bearing the letterhead of the permanent secretariat of the Académie française, on which Maurice Genevoix has inscribed the following words:

"Pour Claude Armand, avec mes voeux et mes amitiés. Maurice Genevoix."

Maurice Genevoix served as Permanent Secretary of the Académie française from October 1958 to January 1974.

A handsome example. Accompanied by an envelope, typed and bearing the letterhead of the Institut de France.

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

Lettre autographe signée de Pierre Drieu la Rochelle. Une page à l'encre noire sur un feuillet. Traces de plis transversaux inhérentes à l'envoi.
L'écrivain offre une très belle analyse de ses vers inspirés du front, rassemblés sous le titre provocateur de Fond de cantine, paru en 1920. Il demande l'avis de la poétesse Renée de Brimont, petite nièce de Lamartine, qui publia également à la Nrf : "Merci Madame de la décision très fine de ces vers me coupent comme un regret. Que chacun se retire...

First edition of the French translation, one of 210 numbered copies on pur fil paper, the deluxe issue.

Spine and boards lightly faded at the margins, as is often the case.

First edition, printed in 400 copies and dedicated in particular to the memory of the Armenians who were massacred because their industrious people stood in the way of German ambitions.

Spine and covers lightly and marginally sunned, small tears to the inside flaps of the wrappers, two small holes at the foot of the lower cover, unlettered spine.

Inscribed presentation copy, dated and signed by Antoine Poidebard to Vice Admiral Lejay, Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour.

New edition of the French version of the celebrated poem "Tu seras un homme mon fils", a complete reworking of Rudyard Kipling's poem "If", one of the numbered copies on Lafuma wove paper.

Bound in half forest green morocco with corners, the spine faded and sunned, with four raised bands ruled in gilt and decorated with gilt compartments enhanced by red, brown and dark brown onlaid morocco inlays, gilt date at the foot, marbled paper-covered boards, marbled endpapers, original wrappers and spine preserved, top edge gilt.

A few light spots of foxing.

A handsome copy in an attractive binding.

Signed autograph presentation inscription from André Maurois to...

Illustrated edition featuring original lithographs by Edmond Lajoux, one of 40 numbered copies printed on Rives wove paper.

A pleasing copy, complete with its slipcase and chemise, both partially and lightly sunned, a minor condition issue.

The slipcase is slightly split at the upper edge.

As called for in the limitation statement, our copy retains the black suite of the illustrations as well as an original preparatory artwork for the illustrations.

Our copy is further exceptionally enriched with an original signed colour watercolour by Edmond Lajoux depicting a column of French infantrymen carrying their packs and...

First edition, one of 822 numbered copies on pur fil paper, the only deluxe paper issue after 109 reimposed copies.
A pleasing copy despite two small areas of sunning at the head and foot of the spine.

First British edition of 1955 (the first edition of 1954 is American), complete with its dark pink dust jacket designed by Lynton Lamb, on which one of the two prizes received by A Fable in 1955 is mentioned: the Pulitzer Prize. This is the work on which William Faulkner laboured longest and which he considered his masterpiece.

Publisher's binding in candy-pink cloth, with title and author's name gilt in a false panel at the head of the spine, and publisher's name gilt at the foot. Galignani...

First edition on ordinary paper with all the features of the first printing. Includes its publisher’s band expertly restored and the publisher’s catalogue at rear.

An exceptionally fresh copy, preserved with its rare red publisher’s band quoting Molly’s phrase “C’est le voyageur solitaire qui va le plus loin” (“he travels farthest who travels alone”, translation by John H. P. Marks) followed by this text on the verso:

 

“One...

New edition, limited to 2,000 numbered copies on Lafuma vellum.

Signed autograph presentation inscription by Henri Barbusse beneath the limitation statement: "A Marcel Granoux fraternellement. Henri Barbusse."

Included are an original photograph of Henri Barbusse (8.9 × 13.8 cm, from the G.L. Manuel Frères studio), showing him full face, together with two typed letters dated 28 April and 2 July 1930, signed by Henri Barbusse, concerning an article he was late in sending and a copy of Le Feu that he promises to inscribe and forward to his correspondent.

The first typed letter also bears two manuscript corrections by Henri...

First edition, one of 13 numbered copies on imperial Japan paper, deluxe issue.

Spine and boards very lightly and marginally sun-toned, without significance.

Rare and pleasing copy, with full margins and uncut.

First edition, one of the 10 numbered and justified copies on japon paper, the only large-paper issue announced.

Contemporary half brown morocco binding in the Bradel style, smooth spine, marbled paper boards, handmade endpapers, bookplate affixed to the front pastedown, original wrappers and spine preserved, top edge gilt, period binding.

Signed and dated autograph inscription from Jean Puget to his publisher Pierre Briquet: "... en souvenir des jours héroïques..."

Provenance: from the personal library of publisher Pierre Briquet, with his bookplate affixed to the front pastedown.

Exceptionally rare copy featuring...

First edition, one of the press copies.

Full emerald-green morocco, flat spine with a gilt rule lengthwise, title and author gilt-stamped, frontdecorated with multiple gilt rules framing a central onlaid panel of blue shagreen, light green suede endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers preserved, top edge gilt, binding signed Boichot.

Exceptional and highly desirable presentation copy inscribed and signed by Louis-Ferdinand Céline: "A mons. Pierre Jean Jouve cordial hommage Louis Celine."

First edition of Pierre Drieu la Rochelle's first book, one of 150 numbered copies on Hollande laid paper, the only deluxe copies.
Precious autograph inscription signed by Pierre Drieu la Rochelle : « to Charles Maurras this anxious testimony. Pierre Drieu la Rochelle ex. sergeant in the 146^th Infantry. October 1^st, 1917. »
Important testimony of the young Drieu la Rochelle's admiration – then in full intellectual development – for the « master of Martigues » to whom he sends this copy of his war poems composed in 1916 after being wounded at Verdun.
Demobilized and...

First edition and first printing of Lucien Laforge’s pacifist illustrations, one of 400 deluxe copies on special matte red paper from the Barthélémy paper mills, the only deluxe issue announced.
Some light wear, otherwise a very good copy of this fierce anti-militarist pamphlet in which runs "comme le grésillement du fer rouge marquant à vif la chair pâle et grasse du Bourgeois repu de morts" (Paul Vaillant-Couturier in L'Humanité).