Négritude's epic literary and poetic journey

First edition, one of 30 numbered copies on vergé pur fil, the only large-paper copies.
"Collection Goncourt" ex-libris pasted to a flyleaf.

"When Batouala was first published in Paris a half-century ago, it was not only an event of major literary importance, but also a turning point in both the intellectual and political history of contemporary Africa. A creation of Rene Maran, an Afro-Caribbean who had years of direct experience in Africa as an employee of France's colonial service, Batouala was the first great novel about Africa by a Black writer." (Donald E. Herdeck...

First edition, one of 25 numbered copies on pur fil, the only deluxe copies.

A rare and fine copy.

"A thunderclap of a title, a bitter draught that rings out like "Blue Note" in jazz, like "Cuba libre" among Caribbean cocktails. Damas, the stammerer, sings of solitude, the fear of being abandoned by the woman he loves and waits for, the sorrow and cowardice of "whitening," as do the jazz musicians he venerates" (Kathleen Gyssels)

First edition, one of 55 numbered copies on mould-made Arches wove paper, the only deluxe issue.

Rear cover slightly and marginally sunned, very faint offsetting to the head and foot of the endpapers.

First edition, one of 35 numbered copies on pur fil, most limited issue. In addition, 25 hors-commerce copies on vélin labeur.

A fine and rare copy.

Edition illustrated by Gaston Barret.

Publisher's full beige paper boards, smooth spine, a complete copy retaining its illustrated dust jacket, the latter with a few small marginal tears.

Precious signed autograph inscription from René Maran: "A M. Maurice Genevoix, qui honore l'Académie Française de son caractère et de son talent. René Maran."

First edition of the French translation, one of the ordinary issue copies, as no deluxe paper copies were produced.

A very good copy.

Signed autograph inscription from Richard Wright to Pierre Descaves.

First edition, one of 50 numbered copies on vélin pur chiffon de lana, the only deluxe issue.

A fine copy, with a small nick at the head of the spine between the author's name and the title.

Presentation copy, inscribed by Patrick Chamoiseau to Maurice Marchaux: "... cette mémoire-langage qui invoque toutes les langues du monde. Avec mes amitiés créoles..." [this memory language invoking all of the world's languages] with a sketch formed from his initials.

Second edition, partly original as it was revised and enlarged, and the most complete form of this celebrated manual of local law for the island of Réunion (cf. Ryckebusch 2407; Toussaint & Adolphe D439).

The work is illustrated with three folding tables inserted out of text (two in the fifth volume, one in the last).

Contemporary half-sheep bindings in dark green, smooth spines gilt-tooled with dotted ornaments, fillets and garlands, gilt rolls at head and foot, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, sprinkled edges.

Some rubbing to a few headcaps and spines, the upper headcap of the sixth volume torn, restorations to several spines.

Rare and luxurious invitation card for the exhibition organized by art critic André Warnod on "art nègre," a term he coined in 1910 in the journal Comœdia to originally designate African and Oceanic statuary. From January 20 to February 20, 1926, four painters were invited to exhibit at the art gallery of the Grande Maison de Blanc, Place de l'Opéra in Paris. These were most likely the French artists Marguerite Guy-Lemm (née Lemaire) and Luc-Albert Moreau, the Uruguayan Pedro Figari, and the Dutchman Kees van Dongen.

Fine...

First edition, a numbered copy on alfa du Marais paper, this one not included in the justification.
Handsome autograph inscription signed and dated by Aimé Césaire to Raymond Queneau: “Très sympathique hommage de ces bucoliques de sang et de soleil... [a very affectionate homage of these bucolics of blood and sunshine...]”
Covers and spine slightly sunned at edges (but not seriously).

Press clipping illustrated with a photograph depicting Josephine Baker on stage.

Horizontal central fold, minor tears of no consequence along the right margin of the clipping.

Inscribed and signed by Josephine Baker in black felt-tip pen a few months before her passing: "A Claude Armand ami de Jospéhine Baker 1975".

First edition and rare collection of the first 12 issues of La Revue de Madagascar, preserved in unusual bindings of incised and stained leather, decorated with Malagasy landscapes and views.

The issues are illustrated with numerous photographic reproductions.

Contemporary full mahogany-stained and incised sheep bindings, spines faded, with four raised bands and tooled decorative motifs, cold-stamped dates and volume numbers, the last volume unlettered; large African-style ornamental designs on the covers (each of the three covers is different) with incised titles; original wrappers bound in. Period bindings dated and signed by Ramanakanja, 1935.

A slip inserted...

First edition illustrated with 4 engraved plates by Ambroise Tardieu (portrait of Diai-Boukari in marabout attire from Foutatoro, view of the Foutatoro army on the march, view of the sources of the Rio Grande and the Gambia, view of Timbo); and a large folding map at the end of the first volume, copy signed by the author on the verso of the title page of vol. I.
Contemporary half calf bindings, spines decorated with gilt roll tooling in place of raised bands, title and volume labels in red calf, paper covered boards, speckled blue edges, small wormhole to the lower hinge of the first volume.
Shortly after the Treaty of Paris returned Senegal to France...

Rare first edition including a general map of Africa, compiled from the most reliable observations and the latest discoveries, as well as 8 finely engraved plates (cf. Clozel 505; Gay 2897).

The 8 illustrations comprise: one folding view, three folding maps and plans, a key chart for the plan of Gorée, and three portraits of indigenous figures.

Some restorations and water stains affecting a few leaves.

Contemporary half calf binding, smooth spine decorated with gilt garlands, floral tools, and urns; red morocco title and volume labels, marbled edges.

Born in Colmar, Sylvain-Meinrad-Xavier de Golbéry (1742–1822) spent his entire military career in the Corps of...

First edition, 15 issues in 15 separate instalments, abundantly illustrated with black and white photographs. Complete with the special issue “Hommage à Picasso” (#3, 1930) and the index for the year 1929, published as a separate 8-page stapled booklet. Some spines slightly faded not affecting the text, occasional minor foxing along the margins of certain covers

Presented in a custom slipcase with a flat spine in blue morocco, title stamped in palladium and spine framed in palladium, decorative blue paper boards, sky-blue suede doublures; a handsome ensemble signed...

First edition, one of 50 copies printed on Lancey watermarked paper, the only copies on deluxe paper.

A handsome copy despite some foxing on the boards.

Inscribed by Maurice Gorrée’s brother to him and his family as a gift.

First edition of the French translation.
Illustrated with photographs by Erica Anderson, with text and captions by Eugène Exman.

Preface by Daniel Halévy.
Pleasing copy complete with its illustrated dust jacket, showing minor losses and angular tears to the spine, along with some marginal scuffing to the panels.

Bookplate affixed to the inside front cover.

Rare dated and signed presentation inscription by Albert Schweitzer on a blank flyleaf: "A monsieur Bernard Tessier en souvenir de son passage à Lambaréné le 1.9.1956, Albert Schweitzer."

Rare first edition (cf. Gay 367; Leclerc 638).

The work is illustrated with a map of the port and harbor of Brest and five plates: How the beds of the Negroes are made [and] The house of the Negroes – How the Moors ride their Camels, Horses and Oxen with their merchandise – How the Negroes collect palm wine [sic] [and] How they climb the palm trees [and] How the Negroes make incisions to extract the palm wine [and] how they are dressed – Dress of lords and notable persons – How the women are dressed and how they carry their children on their backs [and] How the Negroes dance in a circle.

This account is considered a valuable narrative, offering noteworthy details on the trade...

First edition, rare, illustrated with a large folding engraved map (cf. Gay 3082).

Contemporary full marbled calf, smooth spine gilt in compartments adorned with gilt floral tools, tan morocco title label, gilt roll tooling at head and foot of spine, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets on board edges, red-speckled yellow edges.

Some restoration to spine and covers, occasional foxing and slight age-toning to a few gatherings.

Written from the memoirs of the missionaries Descourvières and Bellegarde. The first part offers a description of the country and the customs of its inhabitants, followed by notes on their language; the second part recounts the history of...

Original edition printed in a limited number of copies of this excerpt from Bulletin of the Société de géographie (1882-1883).

This text was re-edited in 1885 by Hachette.

Work illustrated with figures in the text and a large folding map at the end (Route from Médine to Nango by the Gallieni mission).

Binding in black half-shagreen, spine with five raised bands decorated with cold fillets, boards of handmade paper, preserved original covers, modern binding signed by Boichot.

Covers restored with some stains, pleasant interior condition.

Work illustrated with figures in the text and a large folding map at the end (Route from Médine to Nango by the...

First edition of this rare and sought-after work compiling, in a single volume, the main legislative and regulatory provisions from Year XIV to 1857, forming the specific legal code of the island (cf. Ryckebusch 6126).

Some light foxing, mostly at the beginning and end of the volume.

Contemporary full aubergine calf, spine with four raised bands decorated with gilt double fillets, slight rubbing to spine and boards, gilt roll-tooled head- and tailbands, boards framed with gilt triple and double fillets, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt dotted edges, marbled edges, contemporary binding.

New edition, with mention of the print run.
Illustrated.
Two losses to the spine; complete with its illustrated dust jacket, which shows small chips and angular tears. One gathering poorly opened with minor marginal losses not affecting the text.

Bookplate affixed to the verso of the front cover.

Rare signed presentation inscription by Albert Schweitzer: "A monsieur et madame André Fontan en souvenir de leur passage à Lambarené le 2.6.1963, avec mes bonnes pensées. Albert Schweitzer."

A rare Belgian pirate edition in 8 tomes bound in 4, published shortly after the novel's first serial appearance in the Journal des débats from August 28, 1844 to January 15, 1846. Complete with all half titles and title pages. They are all dated 1845, except for the last two (vol. 7-8) dated 1846. The edition includes the misprint "Christo" for "Cristo", present in the pre-first edition of the Journal des débats, and corrected for the first time at the end of 1846 in the first illustrated edition.

Contem­porary brown half shagreen, spine ruled in gilt, gilt titles and volumes, brown marbled paper boards, marbled edg­es. Spines uniformly lightened, rubbed corners and edges with...

Later edition on ordinary paper.

Illustrated wrappers.
Illustrations.
Spine slightly split as is often the case, a few minor marginal tears to the covers, the paper inevitably toned owing to the poor quality of this post-war stock.
Inscribed, dated and signed by Marcel Sauvage to Mr. Berthet.

First edition, one of 2,000 numbered copies on alfa paper.

Manuscript initials at the head of the upper cover and of the title page serving as an ex-libris.

A pleasant copy.

Later edition.

Publisher's full green cloth binding, smooth spine, copy complete with its illustrated dust jacket which shows a few small tears and minor losses.

The verso of the front panel of the dust jacket shows an angular loss affecting the printed price.

Dated and signed autograph inscription from Richard Wright to Ganan Bocca.

Offprint from this prestigious publication directed by François Albert-Buisson, President and Perpetual Secretary of the "Académie des Sciences Morales & Politiques", and Claude Pellegrin, editor-in-chief and attaché to the Academy. The text featured here, Le problème de l'éthique dans l'évolution de la pensée humaine (The Problem of Ethics in the Evolution of Human Thought), is the work of a newly elected member of the Academy, who had been a member for only a few months when this offprint was published, having taken the seat previously held by Marshal Pétain; namely...

First edition, for which no copies were issued on deluxe paper, this being one of the publisher’s review copies.

A small tear at the head of the upper cover, a crease at the foot of the lower.

A pleasing copy, complete with its promotional band.

Dated and signed autograph inscription by René Depestre to the writer Christiane Baroche.

First edition, one of 1,045 and one of 1,246 numbered copies on deluxe paper, the only large-paper issues after the 118 and 120 reimposed copies.

A pleasing set.

First edition.

Spine and boards slightly and marginally faded.

A rare and pleasing copy.

Rare first edition of this small practical Malagasy–English lexicon compiled by the Protestant missionary Joseph Stickney Sewell (1819–1900), who was active in Madagascar between 1867 and 1876; although a Quaker, he was employed by the Anglican London Missionary Society.

No copy recorded in the CCF. Absent from Grandidier (who nevertheless cites other works by the author).

Publisher’s modest brick-coloured half-cloth binding, smooth spine without lettering, title blocked on the upper board, with light spotting and staining to the boards.

Title page and final endpaper toned,

Very rare first edition (cf. Ryckebusch 7452).

Four copies are recorded in the CCFr, all in Paris at the BnF: Tolbiac (2), Arsenal and Richelieu.

Spine and boards restored and reattached, with losses to the corners,

A refutation of the memorandum by Baron de Lareinty, former delegate of Martinique, urging the National Assembly to reject the bill establishing trial by jury in the colonies.

Denouncing judicial practices prejudicial to men of colour, this memorandum is jointly signed by four liberal deputies: Victor Schoelcher, Alexandre Laserve and J. François de Mahy, representatives of the island of Réunion in the Assembly, and Philippe Pory-Papy, deputy for...

First 12^o edition published a year after the very rare first edition.
Light dampstains to the joins of the volumes, a small hole at foot of a joint on the first volume, slight rubbing to the spines, an upper corner of volume 1 rubbed, small part of leather lacking and a hole to a joint of the third volume.

Bound in half bronze sheep, smooth spines framed in gilt and cold-stamped fillets, modern black morocco title labels and volume labels, marbled paper boards, spotted edges, contemporary bindings.

Provenance: from the library of Michel Marie de Pomereu with his engraved bookplates pasted on the pastedowns.

Original carte-de-visite portrait signed and inscribed by Alexandre Dumas.
Albumen print photograph on mount. Stamp of Charles Reutlinger's studio in Paris on verso.

Very fine portrait signed and inscribed on the lower part of the mount: "A Ma­dame aimée Persat, A. Dumas".

Probably gifted to the second wife of Maurice Persat, an officer who took part in the Napoleonic Wars as well as Independence upris­ings in Latin America, Spain and Greece, where he bought back a young Turkish slave, Adélé. Back in France, she was placed in a convent under the protec­tion of the governor of Marseille and converted to Catholicism. Persat, a lib­eral and agitator...

Chez Théodore Le Gras, à Paris 1728, 12° (9,5x17cm), (2 p.) xvij (7 p.) 346 pp.; (2 p.) ij 376 pp.; (2 p.) ij 387 pp.; (6 p.) 392 pp.; (6 p.) 404 pp., 5 volumes bound.
First edition of this famous description of West Africa.
78 full-page engraved plates:
- volume 1: 5 maps, 2 plates and 1 folding plan
- volume 2: 6 maps, 17 plates and 4 folding plans
- volume 3: 2 maps and 13 plates
- volume 4: 5 maps, 8 plates and 3 folding plans
- volume 5: 3 maps and 9 plates
First edition of this famous description of West Africa. Illustrated with 78 full-page engraved plates.
Contemporary beige calf, spine elaborately gilt, 19th century red leather...

First edition for which was no grand papier (deluxe) copy.
Pleasant copy of this work which received the Prix Fémina in 1984.
Rare and precious handwritten inscripttion, dated and signed by Tchicaya U Tam'si to Régine Deforges: “Pour Régine Deforges qui a écrit quelques mots que j'aurais voulu mettre en guise de dédicace mais ma mémoire est moins fidèle que moi. à elle toute la poésie de ce 'roman'.” (“For Régine Deforges who wrote some words that I would have liked to include as a dedication but my memory is less faithful than me. To her, all the poetry of this 'novel'.”)

Provenance: from the library of Régine...

First collected edition, one of 15 numbered copies on pur fil paper, the only large paper copies.
A very good copy.
Rare.

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.
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.

A rare and poetic autograph inscription from Aimé Césaire to the Pataphysician Maurice Saillet.