Poetry

Autograph quatrain and tercet from Cocteau's youth, comprising fourteen stanzas signed by Jean Cocteau, with fifteen lines written in black ink and titled "Pour Abel Bonnard".
This manuscript poem, bearing two autograph corrections by Jean Cocteau, was later published in the collection "Le Prince frivole," issued by Mercure de France in 1910—the poet’s second published work.
On the verso of the bifolium, Cocteau drafted an early version of the poem: the title, the first line, and the very beginning of the second, with a slight variation from the final version.
This manuscript of Le Prince frivole was long thought to be lost: “Le manuscrit original de la main de Cocteau manque” (Œuvres poétiques complètes, Bibliothèque de la Pléiade, p. 1842).
The work, praised by Marcel Proust, who hailed Cocteau as a “Banville de vingt ans qu’attendent de plus hautes destinées”, was later disavowed by the author, who eventually forbade its reprinting.
"Pour Abel Bonnard" appears among the suite of eight sonnets from the Hôtel Biron (Pour mes amis, Pour Marcel Cruppi, Pour Reynaldo Hahn, Pour Pierre Mortier, Pour Francis de Croisset, Pour Abel Bonnard, Pour le comte Robert de Montesquiou Fezensac, Pour Auguste Rodin, and Pour Elle), which were not given dedication titles in the printed edition:
"Un ogre a fait s’enfuir dryade, fée ou muse...
C’est déjà loin nos promenades au couvent !
Vous cherchiez à chaque herbe un beau nom très savant
Insoucieux et gai comme un gamin qui muse
...
Armés d’outils de fer contre un grand parc qui dort
Marchait la horde interminable des vandales
Et vous le défendiez avec vos armes d’or !"

Autograph letter signed by the dandy count, 46 lines written in black ink recto-verso, on Hotel de France de Pau letterhead, addressed to a poet friend.
Fold marks inherent to postal handling.
The poet expresses surprise at his friend's reproaches: "Pourquoi parlez-vous du mal que je pourrais vous faire ?... Alors il faudrait bien essayer, pour ne pas vous désobéir mais il me semble que je m'y mettrai sans conviction." (Why do you speak of the harm I could do to you?... Then I would have to try, so as not to disobey you, but it seems to me I would do so without conviction.) and leans rather toward a misunderstanding of his words: "Est-ce donc ainsi que vous avez interprété ma grande, dirai-je ma belle lettre à Lapauze (elle a droit aux anthologies)? Mais, dans ce cas, elle serait comminatoire. Si elle l'est, ce n'est pas pour vous." (Is this how you interpreted my great, I would say my beautiful letter to Lapauze (it deserves to be anthologized)? But, in that case, it would be threatening. If it is, it is not meant for you.)
But the poet-count-dandy does not hold it too much against her: "En attendant, ce qui est certain, c'est que je réciterai vos poèmes inédits, à l'inauguration du musée Ingres." (In the meantime, what is certain is that I will recite your unpublished poems at the inauguration of the Ingres museum.)

Autograph poem by Théodore de Banville, unsigned, entitled "Les exilés," comprising 20 lines in black ink with deletions and corrections.
Vertical and horizontal fold marks from mailing.
In the upper right-hand corner, the poet has written: “envoi de livre à Don Bernardo Calderon.”
This four-quatrain poem appears to be unpublished and was seemingly not included in the collection "Les exilés" published in 1867.
«Ce  livre, pleurant  sur la gloire
Et sur le bonheur envolé,
Renferme toute notre histoire?
Qui donc n'est pas un exilé ?
[...]

Heureux celui qui sous la mer,
Penchant son triste front blémi,
Poursuit sa route aride et nue
En tenant la main d'un ami !... »

Fine quatrain by Théodore de Banville, likely unpublished.

Posthumous first edition of Mallarmé's chronicles for the journal La Dernière mode. Preface by S. A. Rhodes.

3/4 morocco binding, spine with five raised bands, gilt title, decorative paper covers, marbled endpapcers and paste­downs. Bound as issued, top edge gilt, binding signed by Maylander. Spine and top of the front cover faded, and small trace of adhesive to one of the flyleaves.

A rare copy of the only first edition of Mallarmé published in the U.S. - bring­ing together chronicles from his great magazine of wit and opinion, The Latest Fashion, every page of which he wrote himself under various pseudonyms of both genders. Mallarmé wrote about the latest women's fashions and sang the praises of the great couturiers of the time, notably Emile Pingat and Charles-Frédéric Worth, "organizer of the sub­lime and daily celebration of Paris".

 

Autograph quatrain and tercet from Jean Cocteau's youth, comprising fourteen stanzas penned in black ink across 15 lines on grey paper bearing the poet’s silver monogram in the upper left corner.
Two pencil corrections in the poet’s hand.
This poem presents a variant of the version published in the collection "Le prince frivole," released by Mercure de France in 1910, Cocteau’s second published work; “Versailles dont on a tant dit” (appearing as “Le vieux parc dont on a tant dit” in the printed edition).



 

"The interposition of the poem between painting and music has therefore proven an excellent conductor between the arts thanks to the fact that Hahn scrupulously respected the spirit of the poem while preserving his autonomy in his composition. The link between music and painting is revealed after the other materials unite among themselves; it is in this alliance that an astonishing complementarity then operates, sought upon the soothing light of Albert Cuyp" (Nicolas Vardon)

New edition following the original of 1573. A handsome edition well printed in italics. It contains the Christian poetry, absent from the 1600 edition. Copy enhanced with a portrait of the author from around 1820.
Full glazed blonde calf Restoration binding signed at foot F. Bozérian jeune. Spine with raised bands decorated with 5 fleurons, fillets and roulettes on the bands. Date at foot in blind. Boards ruled in blind with frame roulette composed of interlaced circles. Interior Greek key border. Edges gilt. A small fragment missing from head. Some traces of rubbing. Paper very fresh, the engraving has caused slight uniform foxing on the title page. A handsome copy.
The volume contains: Les amours de Diane; Les amours d'Hippolyte; Les dernières amours de Cléonice; Les Elégies; Les imitations de l'Arioste; Les meslanges contenant Les diverses amours, les bergeries et masquarades, les épitaphes, les prières et oeuvres chrétiennes.
Desportes' poetry was durably influenced and shaped by Italian literature. The author indeed returns to France after a journey to Italy where he underwent the influence of Petrarch - his first poems are moreover criticized as neo-Petrarchan. His first book appeared in a collective collection and gathered his poetry imitated from Ariosto. His clear, frank, mannerist and refined poetry, court poetry, eclipsed that of Ronsard at the court of Henri III. It was in turn criticized and replaced by that of Malherbe. Desportes' literature nonetheless constitutes an important aspect of Renaissance poetry.

"It's war!" we shouted that night, over and over again. The terrible word brought us bad luck... It was 1913: the following year, we were packing our kits again. This time, for real. And not all the guests came back." p. 335

First edition, one of only 6 copies printed on Hollande, this being copy no. 1 of the deluxe issue.
Bound in navy blue morocco backed boards with corners, spine very lightly sunned with raised bands, gilt date at foot, marbled paper-covered boards and endpapers, edges untrimmed, top edge gilt, covers and spine preserved. Binding signed Lavaux.
A fine copy with wide margins, attractively bound.
Bookplate pasted to a flyleaf.
The author's own copy, profusely extra-illustrated, of this magnificent Montmartre chronicle. Tipped in is an original ink portrait of Roland Dorgelès by Gus Bofa, humorously captioned: "Monsieur Roland Dorgelès dans son uniforme de rédacteur à la petite semaine"

Alongside two original photographs, one depicting the famous Montmartre figure Francisque Poulbot in his Guignol theatre (Agence Rol, 1910), and the other a very rare photograph of the legendary “Fête des Dernières Cartouches” organised by Poulbot on 23 May 1913. We have located only one other known image of this event. The photograph shows the merry band of participants at Poulbot’s place on rue de l’Orient, dressed as soldiers from the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. The celebration, which created quite a stir, is recounted by Dorgelès in this book:

New illustrated edition with 22 plates by Célestin Nanteuil, and some headpieces. Text adapted for young readers. Translation by Le Prince Le brun. First edition of this version for young readers.
Publisher's polychrome mosaic cartonnage binding. Smooth spine with ornaments on red, green and cream ground. Upper cover decorated with 4 shields, 2 red and 2 blue, and a portrait of Tasso on cream ground, all set against Renaissance interlacing patterns. Blind-ruled frame on covers. Edges gilt. On the lower cover, a very elaborate shield on green ground. Tinted paper throughout. Dark traces on the lemon endpapers. Some very occasional and light foxing.

A very handsome copy in this cartonnage binding.

First edition printed on alfa paper, no mention is made of deluxe copies.
Work illustrated with illustrations in the text.
Manuscript signature of Géo Lévy-Say at the head of the title page.