Printed in small numbers, illicitly passed out, sought-after, forgotten, found again, major works or confidential texts... Some of these works are extremely rare today ; here are a few of them.
First edition, one of 70 numbered copies on Lafuma de Voiron and reimposed in quarto Tellière format, only deluxe copies ("tirage de tête").
Spine and cover slightly and marginally sunned.
Nice copy.
First edition of Cendrars's second book, printed in 150 copies on handmade Hollande paper and offered to subscribers.
According to Sonia Delaunay, Séquences, Pâques à New York and theTranssibérien were published at the author's expense, thanks to a small inheritance. The address given - Éditions Hommes nouveaux - 4, rue de Savoie, was in fact the small attic room that Blaise Cendrars occupied at that time.
A precious copy of Blaise Cendrars's early poems, exceptionally rare and in remarkable condition.
First edition of the Marcello Virgilio translation in Latin, dedicated to Leo X. The princeps edition was based on an old translation by Petrus de Abano (ca. 1250-1316), and published in 1478 in Colle di Val d'Elsa. The original text was written in Greek around 60 AD.
Title page in red and black. 45 lines per page. Colophon : "Florentiæ per hæredes Philippi Iuntæ Florentini. Anno ab incarnatione Domini.1518. Idibus Octobris. Leone decimo Christiana[m] Rempub. gerente." Superb Filippo Giunta printer's mark on verso of last leaf. Bibliographical note in French opposite the title page.
Full modern limp vellum binding, all edges faintly bluish.
A lack of a small piece of paper skillfully filled on the title page, and the margins of the first endpapers have been restored. A few pages at the end of the volume show the discreet work of a few worms - without affecting the text. The copy has been thoroughly cleaned.
We have not been able to find any copy of this important edition for sale, except in the catalogue of a nineteenth-century German bookshop (Ernest Heinemann, Offenbach sur le Mein, 1840).
Provenance: Crowned monogram H.O. and library stamp of Prince Nicolas Petrovitch of Oldenburg (1840-1886) on the title page. He was the great-grandson of Emperor Paul I, through his daughter Catherine Pavlovna (1788-1819) who married George of Oldenburg. His sister Alexandra married Grand Duke Nicholas, son of Emperor Nicholas I. His nephew Peter of Oldenburg married Grand Duchess Olga, daughter of Emperor Alexander III.
First edition, one of 10 numbered copies on Japan paper, the deluxe issue.
Bradel binding in half chocolate-brown morocco with bands, smooth spine, date gilt at foot, marbled paper boards, brown endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers and spine preserved, gilt edges, binding signed Honnelaître.
Rare first edition of the catalogue of the first exhibition of Benjamin Rabier's watercolors, showing 41 works at the Galerie d'art Deplanche from 8 June to 4 July 1910.
A very good copy despite slight staining to edge of upper cover.
An important and amusing preface by Guillaume Apollinaire who awards Rabier the prize for the "most spiritual of our animal painters."
The catalogue is illustrated with a reproduction of one original watercolor by Benjamin Rabier on the cover.
Original photograph, contemporary silver halide print on crumière paper, taken at the surrealist exhibition in Paris in 1938. “Wide World Photos – Services photographiques The New York Times” imprinted on the verso.
This picture depicts the object “Cadavre exquis” by André Breton, which was exhibited in the room adjacent to the main room at the exhibition and surrounded by paintings by René Magritte and sculptures by Hans Arp.
Stencilled inset glued on the back of the picture: “International Surrealism Exhibition 1938 opens at the Beaux-arts gallery. Paris. What to think of this curious “chest of drawers” on a woman's legs? Photo NYT Paris Fre. 18.1.38 DB.”
