First edition, with a single copy recorded in the CCF (Dijon).
Our copy is preserved in its original wrappers and housed in a plain blue interim cover, with a mounted title label at the head of the spine.
Some foxing.
The sole edition of this compilation, conceived primarily for fiscal purposes: indirect taxes at the time were levied chiefly on beverages.
The bookseller Louis Rondonneau (1759–1834) is renowned as the author, compiler, or editor of numerous legal codes, manuals, collections, and repertories of legislation and jurisprudence.
New edition, partly original, revised, corrected and enlarged.
Bound in full red morocco, spines with five raised bands decorated with gilt garlands and compartments adorned with crowned “LL” monograms, gilt rolls on the caps, triple gilt fillets framing the covers, gilt armorial stamps of Louis XV at the centre of each board, gilt dentelle border on the turn-ins, gilt fillets along the edges, marbled edges. Slightly rubbed corners. Contemporary bindings.
Some leaves slightly yellowed, minor paper flaw on page 101 of the second volume.
Extensive and highly useful table of contents at the end of the second volume. Jean-Antoine Soulatges, lawyer at the Parliament of Toulouse, who died in that city around 1780, was also the author of a Traité des crimes.
A handsome copy, in red morocco, bearing the cipher and arms of Louis XV (OHR pl. 2495, tools 12 and 30).
Second edition, partly original as it was revised and substantially expanded (cf. Ferguson 7152a; Lacassagne 47).
Half black shagreen bindings, spines with four raised bands decorated with gilt rules and double gilt panels, boards framed with a single blind rule over marbled paper, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, sprinkled edges, period bindings.
A few minor spots.
This second edition was issued simultaneously either in a single volume with continuous pagination or in two volumes with separate pagination (our copy, see Ferguson 7152).
Bénigne-Ernest Poret, Marquis de Blosseville (1799–1886), was a legitimist politician and man of letters. He was active in political life throughout the nineteenth century.
At the head of the half-title of the first volume, presentation inscription signed by Bénigne-Ernest Poret, Marquis de Blosseville, to Prosper de Chasseloup-Laubat (1805–1873), then Minister of Algeria and the Colonies (1860–1867).
The latter affixed his armorial bookplate to the pastedowns and stamped the title pages with his ownership seal.
Very rare first edition, bilingual, quarto in format and printed on laid paper, of the Corsican cahier de doléances.
(Cf. Starace 4747. Not in Roland Bonaparte. Conlon, xxiv, 89:1617, who notes only the 32-page octavo edition. No copy located in CCF or Worldcat.)
Our copy is preserved in a plain grey paper wrapper, with minor internal flaws, a few discreet paper restorations to the lower right margin of the opening leaves, not affecting the text.
"Les cahiers des Tiers, en même temps que des mesures spécifiques, exigent les mêmes réformes que le reste du royaume. Cette imbrication du régional et du national est jalonnée d'événements illustrant la dynamique révolutionnaire: agitation lors des assemblées primaires, émeute de Bastia le 1er mai 1789, "révolution municipale" du mois d'août à l'annonce du 14 Juillet parisien et sous le signe de la cocarde tricolore..." Soboul, Dict. hist. de la Révolution française.
Among the specific measures requested are the following: authorisation for Corsican vessels to fly the Moor’s Head on the French white ensign (as several towns and provinces of the kingdom already displayed their own arms); establishment of a university at Corte funded by the former revenues of the Carthusians, Jacobins, and Olivetans; establishment of a lazaretto to facilitate trade with the Levant; creation of a free port; preference in appointments to be given to Corsicans or to French inhabitants established on the island, etc.
Light foxing to the lower and upper right corners of the leaves, not affecting the text.
A well-preserved and appealing copy.
First edition, illustrated at the end of the volume with tables printed on two large folding plates included in the pagination (cf. Ferguson 2165a.)
Contemporary half bordeaux shagreen, the spine very lightly faded, with five raised bands framed by black fillets, marbled-paper boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers marginally soiled and showing small preserved restorations, edges untrimmed, modern binding signed Laurenchet.
Botany Bay, on the eastern coast of Australia, had been chosen in 1787 by the British government as a place of deportation. This study seeks to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of penal colonies at a time when the proposal to establish one in France still had many supporters.
A pleasing copy.
First edition of this very rare memorandum advocating the establishment of a Chair of Natural Law at the Collège d’Autun (entrusted to the lawyer Bouheret).
No copies recorded in either CCFr or WorldCat.
The authors of this Dijon-printed text, mindful of their educational mission, examine the Utility of Natural Law from several perspectives—Religion, Government, and the various orders of society. They refer to Abbé Gédouin and his Dissertation sur l’éducation, to Mably’s Entretiens de Phocion, and to La Chalotais’s Essai d’Éducation nationale ou Plan d’études pour la jeunesse, both published the previous year. Burlamaqui’s Principes du droit naturel et politique (1694–1748), likewise issued posthumously at the same period, are mentioned, as are Cumberland’s Loix naturelles, translated in 1744, whose theses—close to Pufendorf and refuting Hobbes—reinforce the authors’ position. Printed in Dijon, this work reflects the depth and importance of the contemporary debate on natural law, a principle central to the Physiocrats, whose theories would shortly be developed and formulated by Quesnay in his celebrated Physiocratie ou constitution naturelle du Gouvernement le plus avantageux (Leiden and Paris, 1767–1768).
A handsome copy, as issued, preserved in its original plain temporary wrappers, with small tears to the spine.
First edition.
Copies recorded in the Catalogue collectif de France only at the BnF, Versailles, and Bar-le-Duc libraries.
Half bottle-green shagreen binding, spine with five raised bands decorated with gilt dotted rules and floral tools, blind-stamped frame on bottle-green grained cloth boards, gilt initials stamped at the centre of the upper board, white moiré silk endpapers and pastedowns, all edges gilt. Slight rubbing to the corners, a handsome contemporary binding.
The Courrier de Lyon case dates back to the period of the Directoire (April–October 1796). The execution of Joseph Lesurques was soon regarded as a major miscarriage of justice, and his family spent more than sixty years trying to obtain a revision of the case, despite the absence of any law permitting rehabilitation.
The decision of the Cour de cassation in December 1868 brought the matter to a definitive close in the negative sense.
Nevertheless, the confiscation of Lesurques’s property—customary in cases of capital punishment—was revoked, and his estate returned to his heirs. Today, some historians remain convinced of Lesurques’s innocence, while recent investigations by gendarmerie commander Éric Dagnicourt and historian Éric Alary tend to support his guilt as the financial instigator.
Provenance: a distinguished copy belonging to the celebrated lawyer and statesman of the July Monarchy, Odilon Barrot (1791–1873), with a fine signed presentation inscription from Louis Méquillet dated 15 February 1864, and Barrot’s gilt monogram (O. B.) stamped in the centre of the covers.
Odilon Barrot was among the active supporters of the Lesurques family’s petitions, which explains this presentation inscription.
A collection of extremely rare prospectuses, prefaces, prolegomena, and appendices to a monumental work of political and economic philosophy by the Le Havre lawyer J.-B.-J. L'Aignel (1741-1806), former mayor of Le Havre.
The work was intended to be published in several volumes, but illness prevented the author from completing it.
Contemporary full marbled calf binding, spine with five raised bands ruled in gilt (partly faded) and decorated with double gilt compartments, black morocco title labels, gilt fillet borders on the edges (partly rubbed), red edges.
Worming in the lower margin of the final section, not affecting the text; small restorations to the boards.
Printed in Le Havre or nearby Montivilliers, these pieces were meant to be issued separately and have very rarely survived (Frère knew of only three).
The present copy was assembled by the author himself and is one of the two most complete known, along with the copy held by the Bibliothèque municipale du Havre (although with slightly different contents): 1) Souscriptions proposées au public par le jurisconsulte L'Aignel… Pour ses deux Ouvrages intitulés : le premier, les Loix commerciales : le deuxième, la France commerçante. 1er Avril 1797. 4 pp. 2) Loix commerciales et France commerçante. Adresse Aux deux Conseils du Corps Législatif. 1er Avril 1797. 12 pp. (Lechevalier, Biblio. arr. du Havre, 4698) 3) Discours historique sur le commerce (par Savary). 44 pp. (Lechevalier 4699) 4) Discours sur la navigation (par L'Aignel). 71 pp. (Lechevalier 4697) 5) Les Phares de Normandie et du Havre, Allumés à l’avènement de Louis XVI (par L'Aignel); Ode… Présentée à Sa Majesté étant aux Phares du Havre, le 28 Juin 1786. 8 pp. (Frère II 133, Lechevalier 1496) 6) Les Livres XX, XXI & XXII, de l'Esprit des Loix Par Montesquieu : Relatifs au Commerce, Considéré comme une des bases de l'Ordre Social. Montivilliers, Imprimerie des Administrations municipales, s.d. 112 et 6 pp. (Lechevalier 4700) 7) Analyse satyrique de l'Esprit des loix Par M. de Bonneval. 1 f.n.ch. 8) L'Ordre Social. Prospectus. - L'Ordre Social, Propre à tout Gouvernement quelqu'il soit, républicain ou Monarchique; distribué en neuf Législations proposées : précédé de l'Examen des loix hébraïques, romaines, françaises, et autres, tant anciennes que modernes… Par le Jurisconsulte l'Aignel,… Au Havre, Chez l'Auteur, de l'imprimerie de Patry, (1795). 1 f.n.ch. et 27 pp. (Frère II 134, Lechevalier 4690: autre éd. en 24 pp.?) 9) La Confédération générale de l'Europe : ou Extrait du projet de paix perpétuelle de l'abbé de Saint-Pierre. Montivilliers, de l'Imprimerie du District (vers 1796). 15 pp. (Lechevalier 4700 (2)) 10) L'Ordre social, propre à tout gouvernement, Et distribué en neuf Législations …Par le Jurisconsulte l'Aignel,… S.l., (1795). 4 pp. 11) Les Pairies populaires et leurs assemblées Proposées par le Jurisconsulte l'Aignel… S.l., (1796). 20 pp. (Lechevalier 4696) 12) Le Comice patriotique et universel. Au Havre, de l'Impr. de Le Picquier, (vers 1795). 23 pp. (Frère II 134, Lechevalier 4693) 13) Les Hospices, Ci-devant dits Hôpitaux, Aumôneries, Maladreries, Léproseries, Hôtels ou Maisons-Dieu. S.l. (vers 1795). 32 pp. (Lechevalier 4695: autre éd. en 32 pp.?) 14) Les Tributs directs et fixés. Observation préliminaire. Au Havre, de l'Impr. de Le Picquier (vers 1795). 27 pp. (Lechevalier 4694) 15) L'Appendice de la France commerçante en 1789 Par le Jurisconsulte l'Aignel… Au Havre, chez l'Auteur, de l'Imprimerie de Patry, (1796). 2 ff.n.ch., 4 pp. 16) Le Spectacle de la France, lors de la convocation des États Généraux en 1789. S.l., (1796). xij pp. 17) Remarques particulières sur le gouvernement français Par le Président Hénault. Montivilliers, de l'Imprimerie des Administrations municipales, (vers 1795-1796). 54 pp. (Lechevalier 4700 (3)) 18) Histoire sommaire du droit français Par Gabriel Argou,… Montivilliers, de l'Imprimerie du District, (vers 1795-1796). 56 pp. (Lechevalier 4700 (4)) 19) Le Spectacle de la France, lors de la convocation des États Généraux en 1789. S.l. (vers 1795). 107 pp. (Lechevalier 4688) 20) Commerce général de la France en 1789 S.l.n.d. 23 pp. (Lechevalier 4691) 21) Salines et sel, Particulièrement en France S.l.n.d. 44 pp. (Lechevalier 4692). L'Aignel affixed to the front flyleaf an in-8 printed leaf containing two of his poems in honor of the First Consul and Josephine during their official visit to Le Havre on 15 Brumaire Year XI (6 November 1802).
This copy remained in the author’s family until his grandson René, also a lawyer in Le Havre, presented it on 6 November 1882 to a certain E. Seguin, as indicated by a pencil note on the front pastedown.
Rare first edition with bilingual text (French with facing Italian translation).
Our copy is preserved in its original state, uncut and unbound in temporary dominoté paper wrappers (with pen and black ink accounts and trials on the verso of the second cover). Minor foxing.
Only one copy recorded in the CCF (Avignon). Not listed in Starace.
A very rare collection documenting a little-known aspect of the famous "Miot decrees", which have given rise to much commentary, though only concerning their fiscal and customs provisions.
The regulatory activity of this unflinching State official extended into many other areas. When he disembarked from the Hirondelle on 25 March 1801 in Bastia, it was the second mission undertaken by Miot (1762–1841) in Corsica to implement continental legislation (the first had taken place in 1796–1797).
Settled in Ajaccio in the Bonaparte house, he exceptionally held full military, administrative, and judicial powers, tasked with bringing, as far as possible, the islanders under the French legal system, the constitutional regime having been temporarily suspended on the island by the First Consul.
The task was far from easy, hampered by numerous personal oppositions, and until his departure on 14 September 1802, he was often compelled to adapt the legal requirements to local customs and institutions.
First edition.
Publisher’s binding, smooth olive-green cloth spine partially faded, upper headcap trimmed, cream boards speckled with pink, bumped corners, shadowed endpapers.
Signed autograph inscription by Thomas Nelson Page at the head of the title page.
First edition of the French translation, one of 75 numbered copies on pur fil, the only deluxe paper issue.
Half brown morocco with bands, smooth spine, date gilt at foot, marbled paper boards, endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers and spine preserved, gilt top edge. An elegant binding signed Alix.
A handsome and carefully bound copy.
Autograph signed calling card addressed to theatre director Simone Benmussa, 8 lines in black felt-tip, with the original envelope.
"Chère Simone Benmussa, quel succès ! J'en reçois les échos de tous côtés ! Nous vous devons tous cette merveilleuse soirée. Laiseez-moi vous dire encore Merci et Bravo. En toute amitié. R. Badinter."
Literary adviser to the Jean-Louis Barrault – Madeleine Renaud Company and, from 1957, editor-in-chief of the Cahiers Renaud-Barrault, Simone Benmussa also headed, from the Odéon Theatre, the company’s cultural department and its journal. She adapted for the stage several works by her friend Nathalie Sarraute, including Enfance in 1984 (featuring Sarraute’s recorded voice) and Pour un oui ou pour un non in 1987, as well as works by Pierre Klossowski, Jean Cocteau, Gertrude Stein, and Samuel Beckett. She was the partner of the actress Erika Kralik.
First edition, no copies printed on deluxe paper.
Pleasing copy.
Signed autograph inscription from Robert Badinter: "Pour Claude Moncorgé, affectueusement, son cousin. Robert."
Edition adorned with original color illustrations by Alain Tercinet.
Publisher's full brick cloth binding, smooth spine, copy complete with its illustrated dust jacket showing minor marginal tears and a sunned spine.
Slightly warped copy, internally in pleasant condition.
Inscribed and signed by Alain Tercinet to Robert Sabatier.
First edition of the French translation, one of 51 numbered copies on pure wove paper, the only copies printed on deluxe paper.
Spine and boards slightly and marginally sunned, as often.
Rare and handsome copy of this work, splendidly adapted for the screen in 1967 by Richard Brooks, with Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, John Forsythe, and John MacLiam in the leading roles.
Richard Brooks even went so far as to film in the actual house where the crime took place, as well as in the same courthouse, where 7 of the 12 jurors played their own roles.
First edition, one of 20 numbered copies on vélin de cuve paper reserved for the “XX” bibliophile group, the tirage de tête.
A good copy complete with its double covers by Albin Michel and the “XX” bibliophile group.
Joints of chemise rubbed, modern slipcase, tiny insignificant worming to endpapers.
Signed by the author on justification page.
First edition, one of 25 copies on handmade laid paper, numbered and justified by the publisher, the only deluxe issue.
Bradel binding in half chocolate-brown morocco with corners, smooth spine, gilt date at foot, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, illustrated wrappers by Manuel Orazi and backstrip preserved.
Work illustrated with 136 black and colour drawings, in- and out-of-text, by Georges Bottini.
Bookplate mounted.
Our copy is enriched with a full-page original drawing, signed by Georges Bottini and heightened in black ink, depicting Jacques Beaudarmon wearing a bowler hat and conversing with the « môme ». This drawing appears as a woodcut illustration on page 133.
The drawing is inscribed by Georges Bottini to M. Casanove « en grande sympathie ».
Very rare deluxe copy of Jean Lorrain’s masterpiece.
First edition of this treatise on the jurisdictional privileges granted to France by the Porte, a true system of exemptions benefiting French nationals.
Bound in full black cloth, spines smoothly restored, red morocco lettering-pieces, blind-ruled panels on covers, marbled endpapers and pastedowns.
In addition to reduced customs duties, those concerned were exempted from most local taxes and subject only to the jurisdiction of their consulates, rather than to Ottoman courts.
Small areas of discoloration to the covers, some scattered foxing.
First edition in Spanish, printed simultaneously with the French edition (Not cited by Sabin, who records only the French version under no. 39838).
Contemporary mottled tan sheep bindings, spines with four raised bands decorated with gilt dentelle and floral tools, red morocco lettering- and volume-pieces, headcaps shaved, gilt dentelle framing on the boards, marbled endpapers, corners rubbed, bindings signed "Felipe Montilla, Merida de Yucatán".
Joints split at head and foot of the first volume, joints rubbed, small marginal tears to a few leaves of the first volume without loss of text, light waterstaining to the edges of both volumes.
This collection of documents constitutes a complete history of the French intervention in Mexico and the ill-fated imperial venture of Maximilian.
First edition.
Bound in green half shagreen, spines with five raised bands ruled in black and decorated with gilt floral tools, gilt names of a former owner at foot of spines, marbled paper boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers bound in.
Some occasional foxing, minor rubbing to two upper corners, and light surface wear to a few boards without affecting the integrity of the binding.
Contemporary ink ownership inscriptions at the head of the wrappers, with blind collector's stamps on the endpapers.
A handsome set of these important memoirs from the Napoleonic era.
First quarto edition, third issue (distinguished by the absence of the table of contents at the end; the other two issues present this table as 28 unnumbered leaves or 42 pages), cf. Polak 7161.
Each of the 23 books comprising the ordinance is separated from the preceding one by 8 blank leaves, likely intended for handwritten supplements or annotations, though these remain unused.
Full tan calf binding, spine with five raised bands, gilt compartments and tooling, tan leather title label, gilt rolls on the somewhat faded caps, name of a former owner gilt-stamped on upper board, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets partially faded along the edges, red edges. Contemporary binding.
Scuffing to the boards, joints restored, small tear on pages 167–68 without loss of text.
First edition including 113 statistical tables compiled by Dr. Chassinat, surgeon for the Ministry of the Interior.
Spine lacking, minor losses to corners of the boards.
First edition of the French translation by Jean-Baptiste Dupuy-Demportes of the work originally published in 1689 under the title "La Morale dei principi osservata nell'istoria di tutti gl'imperadori, che regnarono in Roma" (cf. Quérard II, 260. Barbier III, 353b. Conlon VII, 54-572. Hoefer XI, 314).
Contemporary full red morocco bindings, spines with five raised bands decorated with gilt fillets and double gilt panels with gilt floral tools, boards framed by gilt roll-tooled floral and bird motifs, gilt fillets on the board edges, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, all edges gilt over marbling.
Some gatherings bound out of sequence in volumes 1 and 3; headcap of volume 4 chipped; a few small wormholes, mostly affecting the lower sections of the bindings.
A handsome copy of this uncommon work.
Giovanni Battista Comazzi (Mantua, 1654 – Vienna, 1711), an Italian historian, poet, and political theorist, presents here a study of Roman emperors from Caesar to Constantius Chlorus: "Il prend les traits principaux de la vie de chaque prince, il en cherche les vues et les causes, et juge, d'après les principes, s'ils ont eu tort ou raison, et pourquoi ; ainsi chaque fait historique donne occasion à une maxime morale" (Nouvelles littéraires, 20 juillet 1754).
Rare first edition, illustrated with a frontispiece portrait of the author, lithographed by Légé after J. Philippe.
Only three copies listed in the CCF (BnF, Pau, Toulouse).
Bound following the second part, which bears a different title: Cour d'assises de la Haute-Garonne. Affaire Lesnier. Deuxième partie, published in Bordeaux and Toulouse by Métreau and Delboy in 1855, 88 pp.
Some scattered foxing, mainly at the beginning and end of the volume.
Contemporary-style binding in chocolate-brown half shagreen, spine with five raised bands framed by black fillets, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns.
First edition of the French translation of England, The United States and the Southern Confederacy, originally published the previous year in London (Sabin 76968).
Copy belonging to the philosopher Charles Renouvier (1815–1903), with a manuscript presentation inscription at the head of the front wrapper.
Spine cracked with small losses and tears. Some light foxing; slight marginal tears to the wrappers.
First edition of this significant work on the customary law of Maine. Divided into sixteen parts, it also includes two valuable alphabetical indexes: one listing the main subjects covered in this Custom of Maine as well as in the revised Customs of Anjou and Paris, and the other listing key subjects found in the remarks and observations on this custom.
Marginal dampstaining to a few leaves, occasional foxing.
Contemporary ownership inscription on the title page: Berthereau.
Contemporary full mottled calf, spine with six raised bands, gilt double compartments with decorative tooling, red morocco title label, gilt rolls on somewhat faded caps, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, double gilt fillets on board edges, red edges, corners slightly rubbed.
First edition, one of 34 copies printed on Japan paper, this copy being one of 5 not-for-sale copies printed for presentation, a deluxe issue following the unique copy on Japan Imperial.
Illustrated with 9 original wood engravings by Maurice Savin.
Minor loss at foot of spine, occasional light spotting on some deckle edges, a handsome copy with full margins.
As stated in the colophon, our copy includes the additional suite of wood engravings printed on antique Japan paper.
Inscribed and signed by André Spire to Claude Aveline, for whom this copy was printed
First edition of one of the final treatises by the eminent Sardinian jurist Domenico Alberto Azuni (1749–1827), one of the foremost maritime law experts of his time and a judge at the Commercial and Maritime Court of Nice (cf. Mc Culloch 126, Quérard I 144, not in Polak).
Contemporary full tree calf binding, smooth spine gilt with decorative rolls and typographic tools, gilt head- and tailbands, gilt tooling at the caps, gilt-tooled border on the covers framed with a dentelle fillet, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets on board edges, yellow edges.
Minor defects to foot of upper cover, some soiling to the endpapers, otherwise a clean and appealing copy internally.
In the final years of his life, Domenico Alberto Azuni addressed the question of piracy at a time when Barbary corsairs still roamed the Mediterranean.
In this work, he advocates for a legal framework to regulate privateering, in order to secure free navigation for neutral ships during wartime and avoid hindering commercial activity.
First edition of the most significant contribution by Pinson de Ménerville (1808–1876) to the understanding of the legal framework specific to Algeria under French rule.
It was soon followed by several supplements, later integrated into the definitive 1872 edition (in three volumes). Having arrived in the colony as early as 1831, Ménerville held successive posts as lawyer, examining magistrate, and prosecutor, before concluding his career as the esteemed First President of the Court of Algiers (1874).
Illustrated with a folding table at the end of the volume.
Contemporary binding in cherry red half shagreen, spine with five raised bands decorated with gilt dotted fillets and triple gilt panels, some rubbing to spine, marbled paper-covered boards, marbled endpapers, sprinkled edges, heraldic bookplate pasted on front pastedown.
Provenance: Copy belonging to Charles Cousin-Montauban (1796–1878), then brigadier general commanding the Mostaganem subdivision, with his heraldic bookplate mounted to the front pastedown.
Some occasional foxing.
First edition of the French translation under this title, prepared by Louis-Gabriel Galdéric Aubaret; an earlier edition was published in Saigon in 1862 under the title "Code pénal annamite". (Cordier, Indosinica, 1847.)
Some foxing, mostly affecting the second volume, which also shows a small tear at the head of the spine.
The Annamite Penal Code, modelled on the Chinese Code used during the Qing dynasty, consists of two parts: one, called Luât in Annamite and Lu in Chinese, represents the fundamental law; the other, named Lê in Annamite and Li in Chinese, can be translated as "Supplementary Regulations". It is in this section that the provisions specific to Annam are found.
Rare (possibly complete) collection of this popular Chilean weekly printed in Valparaíso, not listed in the catalogue of the National Library’s periodicals.
Contemporary binding in red half sheep, smooth spine decorated with double gilt and black fillets, black morocco title label, marbled paper-covered boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns.
Although primarily concerned with historical and political matters—featuring frequent polemics against Spain and Peru—this provincial paper also aspires to literary status, including numerous poems, occasionally illustrated with small wood engravings. The "classified ads," of particular interest, along with the theatre listings, offer a vivid glimpse into daily life in a mid-19th-century Chilean city.
The final page of each issue carries advertisements. A few insignificant spots of foxing.
Very scarce.
First edition, one of the review copies.
Spine and covers faded, small chips to the corners of the covers and margins of some leaves, brittle and yellowed paper, front free endpaper detached, a delicate copy.
Exceptional and moving signed autograph inscription by Raymond Guérin: "Pour vous mon cher Calet ces Poulpes où vous savez tout ce que j'ai mis de foi et de désespoir. avec l'admiration et l'amitié du grand Dab. R. Guérin 11.5.53. P.S. Nous sommes au Madison jusqu'au 15 mai, puis, du 29 mai au 5 juin. R.G."
First collected edition. No deluxe paper copies issued.
Publisher’s binding in full green cloth, smooth spines, with their dust jackets designed by Adam Rusak, showing only minor and insignificant marginal tears.
Rare presentation copy dated May 1, 1992 and signed by Solzhenitsyn to USSR émigré journalist and writer Sam Yossman, on the title page of the first volume.
First edition of the French translation, one of 50 numbered copies on pur fil, the only deluxe copies.
Tiny marginal chips of no consequence on the wrappers, a crease to the upper right corner of the front cover, final page slightly darkened due to the presence of a folding facsimile.
This volume comprises three previously unpublished chapters from the novel "Les possédés".
Rare first edition of the French translation, with no copies printed on deluxe paper.
Spine slightly sunned, a vertical shadow on the lower cover, internally clean and attractive.
Rare first edition illustrated with three folding plates outside the text.
Spine repaired along the right margin with adhesive strip, minor tears to spine, internally clean and appealing.
In the manner of departmental compendia of customary law published in mainland France, the author records the unofficial legal “usages” adopted in practice within the colony, though lacking legal force. Born in Saint-Denis, Réunion, Georges Garros (1860 – after 1919) moved to Cochinchina in 1892 to open a law practice in Saigon, primarily serving the commercial interests of his Vietnamese merchant friends. He was also the father of the famed aviator Roland Garros (1888–1918).
Inscribed by Georges Garros: "Monsieur Foulé, greffier en chef de la Cour d'appel hommage de cordiale sympathie. G. Garros"
First edition, one of 125 numbered copies on B.F.K. de Rives, including an additional suite of the illustrations on pure rag paper.
A few minor spots on the covers, a pleasant copy overall.
Two light marginal dampstains on the slipcase, slightly rubbed at the corners.
Signed by Sacha Guitry at the beginning of the first volume.
First edition, one of 30 numbered copies on alfa paper, the only large paper copies along with a few hors commerce also printed on alfa.
A fine copy of this work dedicated to the memory of Simone Weil: "qui, si elle était morte assassinée, aurait consacré son dernier instant à prier pour ses bourreaux."
Second edition of the French translation, published one year after the original, one of 300 numbered copies on vélin de Renage, the only deluxe paper copies.
A handsome and rare copy.
First edition, one of the numbered copies on pur fil, the only copies printed on deluxe paper.
A fine copy.
First edition, with no copies printed on deluxe paper.
A pleasant copy despite two small creases at the foot of the front cover.
Inscribed and signed by Jean Favier to the Belgian literary critic Pol Vandromme.
First edition on ordinary paper, with a mention of the fourth edition.
Bradel binding in green almond half percaline, smooth spine slightly faded and decorated, gilt fillet at foot, brown shagreen label, marbled paper boards, original wrappers preserved, extremities very slightly rubbed, contemporary binding.
Inscribed and signed by Guy de Maupassant to Paul Hervieu.
First French edition of the translation, with no copies printed on deluxe paper.
A handsome copy complete with its illustrated dust jacket, which shows minor tears to the head of the spine and panels.
The book was adapted for the screen in 2006 by Tom Tykwer, starring Ben Whishaw and Dustin Hoffman.
Autograph letter signed by Jacques Mesrine, dated Wednesday 29 December 1976, addressed to Jeanne Schneider, his love interest of the time. She smuggled out of prison the manuscript of his famous autobiography L'Instinct de mort. 66 lines in blue ink on two pages of a leaf. In the top left-hand corner of the letter, Jacques Mesrine has drawn a bouquet of flowers in multicoloured felt-tip pens. Usual horizontal fold, small tear to the fold in the right-hand margin.
Jacques Mesrine, who was in Fleury-Mérogis prison at the time, was delighted to receive so much proof of love and friendship in the many letters he received from his friends and family.
He, in turn, replied to all his correspondents, and in particular to Madame Panco, who had shown great kindness towards Jeanne Schneider: "I'm going to send my best wishes to Madame Panco, as I do every year... because I haven't forgotten what this woman has done for you... she is a “woman of respect” and a very human person... There are some in the administration (it's rare)'.
The indomitable Mesrine is full of tenderness and delicacy for Jeanne Schneider: ‘I've made you a little bouquet of flowers... to make up for being so unpleasant with you at the moment', but he has no wish in the world to change and submit to anyone's wishes: "What do you want, I'm becoming an old fart with a bloody temper... but I am as I am and have no intention of changing... or else I wouldn't be me any more. I'll tell you one thing, my angel... whether my book works or not... I don't give a damn... there's no way I'm going to start from scratch to make it sweeter."
Public Enemy No. 1 was outraged by the way he was treated by the prison administration after the publication of his polemical book ‘L'instinct de mort' (The Death Instinct ): "In France, the truth is frightening. At the moment I don't go out for a walk. ... I'm in my cell 24 hours a day. The reform! What do you expect me to do in this stupid courtyard in such cold weather? But I'm in great shape! "
He doesn't despair of being released or regaining his freedom soon, much to the dismay of all those who prefer to see him locked up: "I'm going to have to apply for a leave of... 10 years. but if that day comes... how many people are going to shit their pants... a lot of loudmouths who take advantage of the fact that I'm caged up to play the ‘pimp' but I'm free... there are no more ‘pimps'. it's nice to dream...'.
But he also talks about how happy he'll be to see his sweetheart again very soon, even if his condition as a prisoner is weighing on him and enraging him all the more: "I hope we'll finally be able to smile again, I'm going to be the real adorable little guy... well, almost! I love you, sweetheart... but this imprisonment is driving me crazy, I feel so powerless in the face of bullshit! "
A rare and beautiful letter from Jacques Mesrine in which he shows his intense affection for his girlfriend and his strong resentment of the prison system.
Autograph letter signed by Emile Zola addressed to Octave Mirbeau, dated in his hand March 4, 1901. Two pages in black ink on a bifolium.
Horizontal fold mark inherent to postal delivery.
Published in his Correspondence, vol. X, p. 242.
Precious letter from Zola to his great supporter Octave Mirbeau, who had paid his fine at the end of his second trial for "J'accuse!".
Now amnestied, the writer attempts - in vain - to recover the sum to reimburse him.
After his historic cry from the heart in l'Aurore, Zola was first condemned by the Seine jury on February 23, 1898 to one year in prison and a three thousand franc fine. The judgment was overturned on appeal, and the case was referred to the Versailles assizes, which retained only three lines out of the eight hundred that make up "J'accuse!" as grounds for accusation. To avoid accepting such a stifling of the debates, Zola's defense decided to default, and the conviction was confirmed on July 18 - Zola left that very evening for London to avoid prison. The tribunal also demanded 7,555 francs from him, which Mirbeau spontaneously decided to pay from his own funds. It was also Octave Mirbeau who prevented the seizure of Zola's furniture, by obtaining from Joseph Reinach the 40,000 francs in damages that Zola had been condemned to pay to the three pseudo-experts in handwriting that he had "defamed" in J'accuse!...
Following the amnesty law that ended judicial proceedings for "all criminal or delictual acts connected to the Dreyfus affair," Zola was acquitted but was not reimbursed. This letter attests to the writer's desire to compensate Mirbeau for his act of generosity: "Labori [his lawyer] will attempt an approach to try to recover the seven thousand and some francs that you paid on my behalf, for the Versailles affair. He simply wishes to have a letter from you, in order to show it and thus be authorized to speak in your name. You certainly do not have down there the receipt that was issued to you. Perhaps you remember its terms. In any case, if we must wait, we will wait, for nothing is urgent after all. The important thing today is only to test the ground, to see if they will return the money to us". However, the prosecutor's office refused his request. Furious, Zola wrote two days later a letter to Labori asking him to give up claiming the slightest cent - he published it in L'Aurore under the title "Let them keep the money": "they torture the text of the law and the State too keeps the money. If the prosecutor's office persists in this interpretation, it will be yet another monstrosity, in the unworthy way they have refused me all justice [...] I do not want to be complicit by accepting anything whatsoever from their amnesty [...]". According to Pierre Michel, these unsuccessful recovery attempts, of which this letter bears witness, "incited Zola to adopt an attitude that emphasizes even more his disinterestedness and that of his 'friend,' who is not named [in the L'Aurore article], probably at Mirbeau's request."
Dreyfus's pardon and the amnesty of his supporters did not satisfy the writer, but nevertheless marked the end of long years of struggle: "I have finished my crushing task, and I am going to rest a little because I am exhausted". Struck down in full glory the following year, he would not be able to witness Captain Dreyfus's rehabilitation.
Beautiful lines from Zola to Mirbeau who gave him the means to continue his fight for justice.
Autograph letter most probably unpublished signed addressed by Juliette Drouet to her lover Victor Hugo, four pages written in black ink on a bifolium.
Transverse folds inherent to mailing, fold joining the two leaves reinforced with a fine strip of pasted paper barely perceptible.
Absent from the very complete online edition of Juliette Drouet's letters to Hugo by the Centre d'Études et de Recherche Éditer/Interpréter (University of Rouen-Normandy).
Very beautiful declaration of love and admiration by Juliette Drouet, the day after Hugo's plea defending his son. Charles Hugo had been brought before the assizes, and condemned despite his father's intervention, for having valiantly castigated the execution of Claude Montcharmont.
Hugo's great love addresses this letter in troubled times, where father and son find themselves at the forefront of the scene for their abolitionist positions. Scandalized by the execution of Montcharmont, a 29-year-old poacher from Morvan, Charles Hugo publishes an article in l'Événement which earns him a trial for contempt of respect due to the laws: the Second Republic already exists only in name, and the press is subject to frequent attacks, further aggravated here by the notoriety of the Hugos. Victor wants to defend his son and delivers a plea that remains famous: "Mon fils, tu reçois aujourd'hui un grand honneur, tu as été jugé digne de combattre, de souffrir peut-être, pour la sainte cause de la vérité. A dater d'aujourd'hui, tu entres dans la véritable vie virile de notre temps, c'est-à-dire dans la lutte pour le juste et pour le vrai. Sois fier, toi qui n'est qu'un simple soldat de l'idée humaine et démocratique, tu es assis sur ce banc où s'est assis Béranger, où s'est assis Lamennais !" (My son, you receive today a great honor, you have been judged worthy to fight, perhaps to suffer, for the holy cause of truth. From today, you enter into the true virile life of our time, that is to say into the struggle for the just and the true. Be proud, you who are but a simple soldier of the human and democratic idea, you are seated on this bench where Béranger sat, where Lamennais sat!)
Despite Hugo's historic intervention, Charles is condemned to six months in prison and 50 francs fine - a decision that Juliette bitterly castigates, overwhelmed by anguish at the outcome of the trial: "J'ai beau savoir que cet arrêt inique est non seulement supporté avec courage par vous tous, mais accepté avec orgueil et avec joie par le plus directement intéressé dans cette malheureuse condamnation, la fatigue et l'inquiétude que j'ai éprouvé pendant toute cette interminable journée d'hier m'a laissée une douloureuse courbature physique et morale" (However much I know that this iniquitous verdict is not only borne with courage by all of you, but accepted with pride and joy by the one most directly concerned in this unfortunate condemnation, the fatigue and anxiety I experienced during all that interminable day yesterday has left me with a painful physical and moral ache).
12 juin jeudi matin 7h
First edition of this collection of articles that Émile Zola wrote during the Dreyfus Affair, notably the famous « J'Accuse...?! » which appears for the first time in volume form. The last part entitled Mon Père is a compilation of articles in homage to François Zola.
Half binding, smooth spine, original wrappers preserved, binding signed C. Vilaine.
Autograph inscription by Émile Zola to historian and journalist Maurice Dreyfous.
Autograph poem signed by poet François Coppée entitled "Lied".
Light foxing to left margin of the leaf.
The signed poem, 14 lines in black ink on one leaf, was included in the collection "L'exilée" published in 1877 under the same title:
"Rougissante et tête baissée,
Je la vois me sourire encor.
Pour le doigt de ma fiancée*
Qu'on me fasse un bel anneau d'or.
Elle part, mais bonne et fidèle ;
Je vais l'attendre en m'affligeant.
Pour garder ce qui me vient d'elle
Qu'on me fasse un coffret d'argent.
J'ai sur le coeur un poids énorme ;
L'exil est trop dur et trop long.
Pour que je me repose et dorme
Qu'on me fasse un cercueil de plomb."
François Coppée. ("Blushing and with lowered head, / I see her smiling at me still. / For my fiancée's finger / Let me have a beautiful gold ring made. / She leaves, but good and faithful; / I will wait for her in sorrow. / To keep what comes to me from her / Let me have a silver casket made. / I have an enormous weight on my heart; / Exile is too harsh and too long. / So that I may rest and sleep / Let me have a lead coffin made." François Coppée.)
