Inscribed Books

First edition, no limited issue printed, of this exhibition catalog. This solo exhibition of Perrriand's works was held at the Musée des arts décoratifs from February 5 to April 1, 1985.
Scuffing on lower right-hand corner of second cover faded.
With a lot of illustrations, a nice copy.

Signed and dated inscribed copy by Charlotte Perriand to Michel Troche: "... que d'efforts conjugués...Vive l'amité. Charlotte" (...what a combined effort... Long live friendship. Charlotte).
 

First edition, one of 25 numbered copies on pure laid paper, the only large paper copies.

Autograph presentation inscription dated and signed by Charles de Gaulle: "Pour J. Emery, bien cordialement ! C. de Gaulle. 25.2.61."

A fine and rare large paper copy with autograph presentation inscription signed by Charles de Gaulle.

First edition, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
A discreet restoration using a small adhesive piece on the verso of the first cover extending onto the first endpaper.

Autograph inscription signed by André Breton: "A Claude Aveline, hommage d'André Breton".
Nicknamed at 21 "the world's youngest publisher," Claude Aveline would publish from 1922 onwards, thanks to André Gide and Georges Duhamel, some fifty works. In 1934, he would engage in politics, alongside Henri Barbusse and Romain Rolland, in the anti-fascist movement then, from August 1940, in the Resistance first in Paris then in the free zone where he would miraculously escape arrest by the Gestapo in April 1944.

First edition, one of 12 numbered copies on hollande paper, the only large paper copies.

Full red shagreen binding, spine with three raised bands decorated with gilt fillets and gilt cartouche enriched with black typographic motifs, marbled paper endpapers and pastedowns, bookplate affixed to pastedown, original wrappers and spine preserved, top edge gilt, other edges uncut.

Foxing to some uncut edges.

Autograph inscription signed by Georges Clemenceau to Monsieur Henry Leyret, political and judicial chronicler and editor at L'Aurore.

First edition, one of 75 numbered copies on surfine colored paper.
Work illustrated with 3 aquatints by Mimi Parent.
One scratch with three light stains on the first cover.
Handsome copy.
Precious and surrealist autograph inscription signed by José Pierre to Marie Cermínová Toyen: "A Toyen, les violons monégasques fabriqués secrètement dans les presbytères en partant de l'anémone de mer, José." (To Toyen, the Monégasque violins secretly manufactured in presbyteries starting from the sea anemone, José.)
Signatures of José Pierre and Mimi Parent below the justification page.

First illustrated edition with 19 original lithographs by Miklos Bokor, printed in 175 numbered copies on Arches vellum, this copy being one of the 15 artist’s proofs signed and justified by the artist.

Autograph signatures of Yves Bonnefoy and Miklos Bokor at the colophon.

Signed autograph inscription by Yves Bonnefoy to a couple of close friends.

A fine copy, complete with its chemise and slipcase.

First collected edition of Paul Celan’s German translation of the poems of Ossip Mandelstam, whom he deeply admired.

Publisher’s original full white cloth, smooth spine, a copy complete with its dust jacket, which shows a few small tears at the head of the spine.

Valuable dated and signed autograph inscription from Paul Celan to his friend, the poet and translator of his works Lydia Kerr: "Für Lydia Kerr, herzlich, 12.2.1963. Paul Celan."

Later edition.

A pleasing copy, despite slight rubbing to the joints.

Rare dated and signed presentation inscription from Paul Celan to his friend, the poet and translator of his works Lydia Kerr.

First edition entirely hand-painted by Jacques Capdeville and printed in 30 numbered copies on vellum, with a small number of hors-commerce copies also issued.

Rare and fine copy, complete with its full flexible paperboard slipcase and with the musical setting of the poem by John Supko, on tracing paper.

Handwritten signatures of Philippe Denis and Jacques Capdeville in the colophon.

First edition illustrated with 12 full-page plates by Françoise Gilot, one of only 115 numbered copies on Arches vellum, the deluxe issue.

Our copy is indeed accompanied by an original lithograph by Françoise Gilot on a separate leaf.

A very good copy.

Paul Éluard’s handwritten signature on the limitation page, lightly and partially shaded as on the facing page.

New compilation of the celebrated songs by the troubadour from Sète, including "La mauvaise réputation", "Le parapluie", "Le petit cheval", "Le fossoyeur", "Le gorille", "Corne d'auroch", "La chasse aux papillons" and "Hécatombe".
Inevitable creasing and light rubbing along the margins of the record sleeve.

A small ballpoint pen doodle in blue ink on the lower cover.
Autograph signature of Georges Brassens in the lower right margin of the upper cover.

First edition, with no copies printed on deluxe paper.

A very good copy.

Inscribed by Maurice Druon to a friend named Henri: "... pour les souvenirs d'une année de travail qui devint une année d'amitié."

New edition.

A handsome copy.

Fine inscribed copy, signed by Anaïs Nin to the writer Christiane Baroche: "Christiane Baroche my last novel before I began to edit the diaries and be drowned in them. Perharps because I had arrived at humor and could bear to make the journey backwards. Anaïs Nin."

First edition printed on regular stock.

Small tears to the head and foot of the spine.

Fine presentation inscription, signed by Henri de Montherlant to Georges Bataille.

First edition, for which no copies were issued on deluxe paper.

Spine lightly wrinkled, a small loss at the foot of the lower board; otherwise a pleasing copy.

Signed autograph inscription by Maurice Genevoix.

First edition, one of 45 numbered copies printed on Rajasthan jute paper, the only deluxe issue.

Manuscript signature of Emil Cioran at the colophon.

Spine very slightly faded, of no significance.

Rare and fine copy, complete with the three tantric paintings reproduced hors-texte in colour on cream paper.

First edition, limited to 59 numbered copies on Arches vellum, signed in pink pencil by André Masson beneath the limitation statement.
Rare and fine copy.
Illustrated with two original etchings by André Masson, printed full-bleed and issued hors texte.

First edition, one of 100 copies numbered on Arches wove paper, the only deluxe issue.

This exhibition catalogue devoted to the painter’s work at the Pierre Matisse Gallery in New York, marking his sixtieth birthday, is illustrated with three original lithographs (two double-page and one single-page) together with numerous black-and-white and colour reproductions.

Offsetting from the lithographs visible on the facing text leaves.

Autograph signature by Joan Miró, dated at the colophon number.

As stated in the limitation, this copy indeed includes its original lithograph, dated and signed by Joan Miró.

First edition, one of 200 numbered copies on “light green paper,” the only deluxe paper issue announced.

Turquoise half morocco binding, smooth spine, date in gilt at foot, marbled paper boards, endpapers, and pastedowns, original wrappers and spine preserved, top edge gilt; an elegant contemporary binding signed by G. Gauché.

A very handsome copy, finely bound by Georges Gauché and complete with its publisher's prospectus. 

Signed presentation inscription by René Crevel: "My dear Georges, here, in its finest form: Diderot’s Harpsichord, if you can help him play his music? With all my affection. René" (our own translation)

Edition partly original, one of 90 numbered copies on Dutch paper, the only issue following 10 on Japan, 2 on Chapelle and 2 not-for-sale copies.

Volume illustrated with 8 wood engravings by Manolo, four of which are full-page.

Manuscript signatures of Manolo and Pierre Reverdy on the colophon.

A rare and handsome copy of the only work illustrated by Manolo.

First edition illustrated with 59 engravings. 

A repaired tear at the head of one joint; covers marginally darkened; the interior remains in pleasing condition.

This work belongs to the first phase of the highly controversial research conducted by the French surgeon of Russian origin, Sergueï Abramovitch Voronoff (1866–1951).

Between 1917 and 1926, Voronoff carried out more than five hundred transplantations on sheep, goats, and even a bull, grafting the testicles of younger animals onto older ones.

His observations appeared to suggest that such transplantations restored vitality to ageing animals. From this, he went on to regard the transplantation of monkey glands as an effective treatment for human senility, leading him toward increasingly hazardous experimental grafts performed on humans.

Signed autograph inscription by Serge Voronoff on the half-title: "To Monsieur Ch. Homassel, with kind regards. S. Voronoff" (our own translation).

The recipient may be Charles Homassel (1872–1952), Chief Administrator of the Colonies.

First edition of the French translation by Edouard Chavannes of an extract from the Journal of the Peking oriental society. 

Contemporary Bradel-style binding in full grey percaline, smooth spine decorated with a gilt fleur-de-lis, double gilt fillet at the foot, cherry shagreen lettering-piece with surface scuffing, partially toned endpapers.

This was the translator’s first scholarly publication devoted to this treatise, which forms the twenty-eighth chapter of the celebrated Shiji (Historical Records) by the first true Chinese historian, Sima Qian (145–86 BCE).

These records constitute the first systematic synthesis of Chinese history and served as the model for all subsequent dynastic annals.

The great sinologist Edouard Chavannes (1865–1918), who lived in China from 1889 to 1893, was moreover the first to undertake a complete translation of the Shiji (five volumes published between 1895 and 1905, unfortunately covering only 47 of the 130 sections of the original work).

Copy enriched with a signed presentation inscription to Georges Cogordan (1849–1904), French Minister Plenipotentiary in Peking from 1885 to 1894.

Second edition (the dedication to Pierre Laffitte is dated 1879).

A study of madness from a positivist perspective, based on the work of Auguste Comte.

The dedicatee, Pierre Laffitte, was the editor of the review "Le Positivisme".

Spine cracked with small losses, occasional foxing, and a horizontal crease at the foot of the upper cover, small marginal tears on the cover, firts cover reattached.

With a fine signed presentation inscription from Emile François Eugène Sémérie to Émile Zola on the half-title: "A Mr. Émile Zola. Sémérie, d'Aix" (the final word underlined).

The close connections between positivism and naturalism, the literary doctrine developed in the 1860s–1880s, are well known: positivist philosophy (the observation of reality and the primacy of experience) influenced naturalist writers in their concern to depict reality with strict objectivity.

Zola made an essential contribution to the movement with his study "Roman expérimental" (1880).