Gift Ideas – Inscribed Copies

First edition, one of 30 numbered copies on pur fil paper, this copy one of 10 hors commerce, the only grand papier (deluxe) copies.
A nice copy despite the very slightly sunned spine.
Autograph inscription dated and signed by Marguerite Yourcenar to Maurice Bourdel, director of publishing house Plon, and his wife : "... cette Electre perdue dans "un monde où l'ordre n'est pas"

Remarkable autograph letter signed by Charles Baudelaire to Auguste Poulet-Malassis, publisher of Les Fleurs du Mal, dated 28 February 1859 and written in Honfleur. 64 lines in black ink, some passages underlined, housed in a modern black half-morocco folder.

Baudelaire appears preoccupied with the “ Sainte-Beuve/Babou affair,” one of the many controversies following the Fleurs du Mal trial, in which the writer Hippolyte Babou accused Sainte-Beuve of failing to defend Baudelaire during the proceedings.
Excerpts from this letter were quoted by Marcel Proust in his celebrated Contre Sainte-Beuve, where he lamented...

One of the very few copies bearing an autograph inscription—fewer than ten are recorded—of this first edition, containing the Marseillaise.
First edition illustrated with an engraved frontispiece by Charles-Étienne Gaucher after Jean-Jacques Le Barbier and four pages of engraved musical score at the end of the volume. La Marseillaise appears here in its true first edition, having first been pre-published in the Almanach des Muses in 1793 and circulated as separate leaves.
Contemporary half-sheepskin binding, smooth spine gilt-decorated with compartments, fleurons and fillets, red morocco title-piece, black pasteboard...

Exceptionally rare autograph satirical poem by Louis Aragon, entitled Distiques pour une Carmagnole de la Honte, written between September 1944 and February 1945. 26 lines penned in black ink on a single leaf, with a note from the author in blue ink at the foot of the page.
Our manuscript belongs to a group of thirteen poems composed during the first half of 1945, intended for publication in a poetry anthology (Aragon, published by Pierre Seghers in Paris, Collection “Poètes d’aujourd’hui” no. 2, 20 July 1945). It was sent by Aragon as a working copy to his editor and friend Claude Roy. This autograph poem is the only known...

First edition, one of the press copies.
Some light reading marks in the margins.
Bradel binding in raspberry red half morocco, smooth spine, date at foot, marbled paper sides, original wrappers preserved, gilt top edge, binding signed by P. Goy & C. Vilaine.
Autograph inscription signed by Albert Camus to Gilbert Sigaux, fellow Combat companion: "... avec l'affectueuse pensée de son vieux camarade..."

First edition, one of the 1000 numbered copies on vellum cloth, ours one of the hors commerce.

Illustrated book of 4 reproductions of works of Claude Garache.
Nice copy.
Signed autograph Yves Bonnefoy to his friend the sculptor and painter Raymond Mason and his wife: "For Raymond and Janine with affection Yves." enriched with the handwritten signature of Claude Garache in pencil.

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...

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 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 on ordinary paper.

A few small spots of foxing, and a faint dampstain along the right margin affecting most leaves of the volume.

Black 3/4 morocco binding, spine with five raised bands framed in black, gilt date at foot, marbled paper boards framed in gilt, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, covers preserved and bound on stubs, top edge gilt, slipcase trimmed with black morocco, marbled paper slipcase boards, binding signed P. Goy & C. Vilaine.
Very rare signed and inscribed copy to Madame Charpentier, his publisher’s wife: "... son bien dévoué et respectueux..."

First edition, published at the author’s expense and in a small print run.

A few minor spots of foxing.
Bradel binding in full paper echoing the work’s gilt checkered cover, smooth spine, red morocco lettering-piece, fragile original wrappers preserved, gilt edges, binding signed by Thomas Boichot.
Rare signed autograph inscription from Auguste Villiers de l’Isle-Adam to the Marquis de Monthec.

 

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...

First edition, one of 100 hors commerce numbered copies on BFK de Rives paper, the only grand papier (deluxe) copies with 662 other copies on BFK de Rives paper.
Precious copy inscribed and dated October 1966 by Beckett to his friend the painter Geer (Van Velde) and his wife Lise.
Nice copy.
“What to say of the sliding planes, the shimmering contours, the cut-out figures in the fog, the balance that any little thing can break, breaking and re-forming themselves under our very eyes? How to talk about the colors that breathe and pant? Of the swarming stasis? Of this world without weight, without force, without shadow? Here everything moves, swims, fells...

First edition, one of 2,800 copies from the regular issue, following 60 copies on cream Japon imitation paper.
Minor spotting to the boards, foxing to the endleaves.

Valuable signed autograph inscription from Henri Bosco to Henri Béraud.
Provenance: from the Île de Ré library of Henri Béraud.

Edition, review copy.
Complete copy of his please insert.

Autograph dedication of the author autograph signed by Jorge Semprun to Jean Freustié.

First edition, one of 90 copies on Holland paper, ours being one of a few lettered hors commerce copies.
Bradel binding in half brown box, smooth spine, decorated paper boards, brown endpapers and pastedowns, original covers preserved, top edge gilt, binding signed by Goy & Vilaine.
Precious autograph inscription signed by Paul Valéry: « A Victoria Ocampo, - a sus piès de Vd - ce petit rien qu'elle a bien voulu désirer. »
A superb dedication that marks the beginning of the enduring friendship between the two writers, beyond all differences.
At Valéry's death in 1945, Victoria Ocampo would recall their first meeting in December 1928 during a writers’ dinner to...

First edition, for which no copies on larger paper were produced.
A pleasing copy, with press clippings laid in.
Exceptional autograph presentation copy inscribed in English by Claude Lévi-Strauss to the anthropologist Raymond Firth.

First edition
Contemporary red half Russian morocco, the spine with double gilt fillets, corners very lightly rubbed.
Presentation copy, inscribed by Théophile Gautier to Monsieur Bufquin des Essarts on half-title.

First edition.
Handsome signed and dated autograph inscription in French from Victoria Ocampo to the singer (Jane) Bathori, who was the partner of the comedian Andrée Tainsy : "... qui a travaillé pour la musique en Argentine with tant de générosité and de chaleur..."
Iconography.
Spine sunned.