Songs of Yesteryear

First edition of the French translation prepared by Joseph Lavallée.

The atlas volume is illustrated with 16 plates (portrait, views, birds, insects), 12 engraved music plates (printed on 6 leaves), and a large folding map on thick paper (cf. Quérard, I, 6; British Museum (Natural History), I, 8 for the atlas only; Pritzel, 6 for the original English edition).

Bound in contemporary half calf, smooth spines gilt-tooled with floral ornaments, rolls and motifs, sometimes slightly faded, orange calf title and volume labels, marbled paper boards, a few rubs and minor defects along the joints, sprinkled red edges; the atlas volume in contemporary half brown calf, smooth gilt-tooled spine with a few small losses at foot, some rubbing to joints and boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns.

Our copy is complete with the Finnish bath plate, often lacking.

First edition, no deluxe paper copies issued.

Complete copy with its illustrated dust jacket, showing as usual a few small marginal tears, two repaired tears at the foot of the spine, and a faint dampstain on the verso of the rear cover.

Rare signed and inscribed copy by Georges Brassens: "à yoyo amical souvenir georges brassens." 

A collection of four extremely rare first editions:
- Thuileur des trente-trois degrés de l'écossisme (1813), “a rare and sought-after work and one of the best thuileurs in existence...” (Caillet, I, 2910). With a frontispiece and 14 plates (one folding) as well as a large folding table at end;
- Récapitulation de toute la maçonnerie ou Description et explication de l'hiéroglyphe universel du maître des maîtres (1812) with two plate;
- l'Explication de la croix philosophique (1806) with a folding plate showing the eponymous cross;
- l'Explication de la pierre cubique (1806) with a folding plate describing the stone.
This copy is further enriched with a small insert (8 x 10.5cm) entitled “Couplets d'obligations”, bound at page 30; these songs “to be sung at the end of every Masonic banquet.”

Contemporary half brown calf over green paper boards, spine with numerous gilt dentelles and fleurons, red russia title label.
A very good copy.
Crossed out pen and ink ex-libris to title.

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".

Black-and-white photographic postcard depicting Gilbert Bécaud.

Discography of Gilbert Bécaud printed on the verso, with minor paper losses.

Inscribed and signed by Gilbert Bécaud to the noted autograph collector Claude Armand: "A Claude Gilbert," enhanced with a small cat sketch in blue ballpoint pen.

Oblong color postcard depicting Charles Aznavour with his hands crossed under his chin.

A fine copy.

Signed by Charles Aznavour in black felt-tip pen in the right-hand margin of the card.

Provenance: from the collection of renowned autograph collector Claude Armand.

First edition of this richly and exquisitely illustrated collection of songs. It comprises 122 songs (originally published in 84 installments), each accompanied by four fully engraved pages. Every song is preceded by a short introduction written by various authors, including the Bibliophile Jacob, and is followed by two pages of musical score. The volume also includes three frontispieces by Trimolet. The steel engravings are truly magnificent and rank among the finest produced in the 19th century. Illustrations by Daubigny, Trimolet, Meissonier...

Contemporary half black shagreen binding with corners. Spine with raised bands, compartments and gilt tooling. Triple gilt fillet along the edges of the covers. Occasional light foxing, otherwise a clean and fresh copy. Minor rubbing. A handsome copy.

The extremely rare wrappers—among the scarcest of the Romantic period—are present. In the first volume, instead of being green, the wrappers are blue, representing an initial trial in this color. All the covers were printed on chamois paper and include engravings within gilt chromolithographed borders.

Original black and white photograph by the Associated Press British showing Cliff Richard posing in Athens with the Acropolis in the background, taken on the occasion of the release of the film "Summer Holiday".

A fine example. Associated Press British label affixed to the verso. Autographs of actors Roy Castle and Lebbi Siffre below the image.

Cliff Richard’s autograph in black felt-tip pen in the left margin of the print.

Provenance: from the collection of renowned autograph collector Claude Armand.

Black and white photograph depicting Cliff Richard slightly turned towards the camera.

A very well-preserved example.

Bold black ink signature by Cliff Richard in the right margin of the photograph.

Provenance: from the collection of renowned autograph collector Claude Armand.

First edition of this exceptionally rare complete set of twelve dance scores, each comprising a color-printed wrapper and five leaves (title page, four numbered pages of engraved music, and one blank leaf). All covers were lithographed and hand-colored using stencil techniques by Adolphe Cathelin, whose name appears on the title pages.

The musical works are by composers Alexandre Croisez, Alexandre Artus, Eugène Dupuis, Camille Michel, Alphonse Leduc, Émile Waldteufel, Voctir-Auguste Dolmetsch, Félix Joufferoy, and Antony Lamotte.

Contemporary half green calf binding, smooth spine decorated with gilt and blind-stamped fillets and dotted lines, joints rubbed; granite-patterned paper boards framed with double gilt fillets (thick and thin), gilt monogram "C.B." at center of front board, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, bumped corners, marbled edges, bookplate mounted on one pastedown. Contemporary binding.

Some foxing, mainly at the end of the volume.

A handsome and exceptionally rare period-bound collection.

Original black and white photograph depicting Michel Polnareff in the street, standing opposite a security guard.

A handsome example. Signed by Michel Polnareff on a piece of paper mounted to the verso of the photograph.

Signed by Michel Polnareff in the upper part of the image.

Provenance : from the collection of renowned autograph collector Claude Armand.

Black and white photographic postcard depicting Ginger Rogers in profile.

A fine copy.

Inscribed and signed by Ginger Rogers for the renowned autograph collector Claude Armand: "To Claude Armand kindest wishes. Ginger Rogers."

Black-and-white photographic postcard depicting a young Charles Trenet wearing a hat.

A handsome example. Charles Trenet’s discography with Columbia printed on the verso.

Inscribed and signed by Charles Trenet: "Pour monsieur Thézard souvenir joyeux de Niort. Charles Trenet."

Photographic postcard by Studio Philips, depicting Johnny Halliday in black and white, holding his guitar in his right hand, resting it on his shoulder.

The verso features the artist's discography, with minor text loss at the head and foot. A well-preserved example.

Bold blue ink signature by Johnny Halliday.

Very rare first edition for Le Gouté des porcherons, with the complete title Nouv. ed. augm. des Citrons de Javotte, histoire de carnaval. Et enrichie d'une Lettre amoureuse de M. Jambe de Creux, charbonnier à mademoiselle Catau, ravaudeuse. Le tout pour servir de Dessert au Déjeuner de La Rapée.
Third edition of La Pipe cassée and fourth for Bouquets poissards and Bouquets galants.
Contemporary half-sheep binding, smooth spine decorated with gilt fillets and a blonde sheep title-label, paste-paper boards. Some rubbing and minimal paper lacks to boards. First leaves somewhat stained without gravity.
Les Porcherons is a former district of the Paris suburbs between La Pologne to the West and the faubourg Montmartre to the East.
All the texts of these poissard songs are very valuable for the study of 18th-century Parisian slang.
Only three copies on the American continent: Newberry, Toronto and Montreal.

First edition of one of the most beautiful books of the 18^th century, of which the text and the music are entirely engraved$. It is illustrated with an engraved title, 3 frontispieces by Le Bouteux and Le Barbier, a dedication page with the Dauphine arms, and 100 figures by Moreau le Jeune, Le Barbier, Le Bouteux and Saint-Quentin, finely engraved in copperplate by Masquelier and Née. The portrait of Laborde, which can be found on some copies, is not part of this edition and was printed in 1774, separately.
Dentelle bindings in full navy blue morocco, signed by Bruyère at the bottom of the pastedown endpaper. Slipcase covered with a blue marbled paper, suede interior, lined with navy leather; a wide navy silk riband allows the works to be taken out. Spine in five compartments very richly adorned with decorated panels and small finishing tools, fillet at the top and the bottom. Boards framed with fillets and large gilt lace work tooling with fleurons in the corner pieces. Leading edges and spine-ends highlighted with double gilt fillets. Large interior frieze. Overall immaculate paper, with some rare foxing in volume I. Slipcase rubbed on the top. Tiny, miniscule signs of rubbing on 2 spine-ends, one compartment and one leading edge. Very large margins.
Large library label: Morel de Voleine.
Magnificent copy bound in 4 volumes, very rare condition. There are usually only copies with 2 volumes for understandable cost issues. It is also very rare to find volumes of this colour that are not faded or sundamaged.

Exceptionally rare autograph satirical poem by Louis Aragon, entitled Distiques pour une Carmagnole de la Honte, written between September 1944 and February 1945. 26 lines penned in black ink on a single leaf, with a note from the author in blue ink at the foot of the page.
Our manuscript belongs to a group of thirteen poems composed during the first half of 1945, intended for publication in a poetry anthology (Aragon, published by Pierre Seghers in Paris, Collection “Poètes d’aujourd’hui” no. 2, 20 July 1945). It was sent by Aragon as a working copy to his editor and friend Claude Roy. This autograph poem is the only known manuscript of the Distiques, with neither manuscript nor proofs held in the extensive Triolet-Aragon archives at the Bibliothèque nationale de France.