Tricks and Games

First edition of a work by an Illuminist author, also a barrister at the Parlement, known for his licentious and libertine writings, including L'Histoire de Dom Bougre, portier des Chartreux. This work was also at one time attributed to Pierre Lambert de Saumery, who published under the pseudonym "de Mirone."

Midnight blue half morocco with corners, spine with five gilt raised bands decorated with compartments richly gilt with arabesques, fillets and small stars, marbled paper boards framed with gilt fillets, pastedowns and endpapers in combed-pattern marbled paper, pastiche binding signed on the verso of the first free endpaper "Cuzin." Loosely inserted bookplate at the front of the volume, bearing the intertwined initials "DP."

Spine slightly sunned.

Discreet scattered foxing. 

Title page printed in red.

First edition, one of 65 copies on Arches; our copy is unnumbered but correctly justified "vergé d’Arches" at the foot of the lower cover. One of the only deluxe papers issued.

Two slight sunning marks at head and foot of the spine, which is also lightly pinched at the foot.

A pleasing copy.

First edition of the French translation.

Our copy is issued in its original state, preserved in a blue paper temporary wrapper and housed within a double chemise and slipcase in navy half-shagreen, smooth spine, marbled-paper boards; a modern binding signed by Devauchelle.

A rare and appealing copy.

Recorded in the CCF only at the BnF.

Sole edition of this theatrical jeu d’esprit, which bears little relation to China despite the purported setting of the action: "La scène se passe à Pé-King, l’an du monde 100, 857, et de Con-Fou-Tsée 6550". In reality, it is a play about the destructive nature of gambling, for which there was no real need to summon China as a pretext; moreover, the characters speak and behave like perfectly typical French petits bourgeois."

First edition, one of 30 numbered copies on alfa vellum, the only copies on deluxe paper.

Slight sunning at the foot of the spine.

A handsome copy.

First edition, one of 30 numbered copies on alfa vellum, ours being No. 1, the only copies on deluxe paper.

Rare and handsome copy.

First edition, one of 13 numbered copies on pure rag Rives vellum, the tête-de-tirage.

Rare and handsome copy.

First french translation of the article originally published in the New York Sun in August 1825 under the title Great astronomical discoveries lately made by Sir John Herschel, along with the content of the five subsequent installments.

Bradel binding in full marbled paper-covered boards, flat spine, vertical title label with a small chip, modern binding.

First edition, of which no copies were printed on deluxe paper.

A handsome copy, despite a very slight nick at the foot of the spine.

First edition, one of 15 copies printed on japon impérial, most limited deluxe issue.

Bradel binding with grey box spine, front board in plexiglass revealing the original cover, back board in grey box, original wrappers and spine preserved, housed in a soft grey paper chemise lined with light grey felt; unsigned binding by Mercher.

Illustrated with three original lithographs, including the original colour illustration on the cover.

Discreet repairs to the head of the front wrapper, which also shows slight sunning along the left margin.

A very rare and beautiful deluxe copy of this major scenario for an imaginary Dadaist film by Picabia: "

I ask each of my readers to stage and film for themselves on the screen of their imagination [...] record for yourselves while reading La Loi d'accommodation chez les borgnes; all seats are the same price, and you can smoke without bothering your neighbors.

" (Picabia, preface). This work related to his celebrated Dada piece L’Œil Cacodylate, directly references the theme of distorted vision – a significant inspiration for Picabia, who suffered from ophthalmic shingles: "The title of the scenario itself (La Loi d’accommodation chez les borgnes) can be seen as an (ironic or humorous) echo of the visual processes explored in his latest works. Depth perception requires two eyes. The lack of stereoscopic vision in monocular vision results in a flat image, and the brain must work harder to construct a sense of relief." (Bernard Marcadé, Francis Picabia Rastaquouère, p. 390)

Our copy includes an autograph letter by the publisher confirming to the recipient that the work is complete and does indeed include two illustrations by Francis Picabia (in addition to the cover), contrary to what Skira indicated in his bibliography.

Booklet of the "Rabelaisian menu" offered on "diemenche 26 de oiteuvre 1952" [Sunday, 26 October 1952] on the menu of the Parisian restaurant Au Mouton de Panurge, gastronomic headquarters of the Amis de Rabelais et de La Devinière, whose walls were decorated by Albert Dubout, who is also the author of the illustrations featured here. On the final page appear several facsimile signatures of distinguished regulars of the establishment. Our booklet is enhanced by a gift inscription from one of these signatories, Albert Schweitzer: "to Andrée [Eekman, his goddaughter, also the niece of his close friend Tata (Adèle Herrenschmidt)] and her dear husband [the painter and engraver Nicolas Eekman] / Albert Schweitzer," as well as four further autograph signatures by Michel de Bry, publisher of the booklet, by a certain "Devilly," and finally by two unidentified names.

Faint vertical fold to the centre of the booklet.

(our own translation)

One of the first collected editions of these seven comic novellas, initially printed separately, by the Sieur de Préfontaine, regarded as a first-rate author by Charles Louandre: "without seeking to diminish in any way the merit of Boileau, without disputing his title as legislator of taste, one may say that Charles Sorel, Furetière, Préfontaine, [...] contributed alongside him and before him to cleansing the French Parnassus."

The first edition of one of the short stories contained in this volume, L'Assemblée des filoux et des filles de joie, is to this day lost; its earliest version is thus found in the 1671 editions.

Early nineteenth-century binding in full brown long-grain morocco, smooth spine with six gilt compartments decorated with urns, red morocco lettering-piece, triple gilt fillet border to boards, gilt-tooled roll to board edges with a diagonal line pattern, gilt edges, marbled pastedowns and endpapers with a shell pattern. Bookplate of "ED. PETIT" on the verso of the first free endpaper.

First free endpaper torn at inner margin over 5 cm, title page marginally rubbed, very slight marginal dampstaining from p. 297 to p. 318. A handsome and pleasing copy.

(our own translation) 

Second edition with some parts in first edition as expanded with two new pieces: "L'occasion" and "Le carrosse du Saint Sacrement".

Half red straight-grained morocco binding with corners signed Blanchetière at the top of the first endpaper. Smooth spine decorated with a large mirror tool and roulettes. Separating fillets on the boards. Very fresh copy, uncut, however some brown spots on Le carrosse du saint sacrement.

Very handsome copy.

Provenance: from the library of Jacques Crépineau, famous collector of Romantic books, with his bookplate. Theater historian and director of the Michodière theater.

This is Prosper Mérimée's first work composed of 6 theatrical pieces. "First dramatic manifestation, in France, of Romantic creation, the Théâtre de Clara Gazul is an original pastiche that shows a moralist's irony, but also a parodic exaggeration of Spanish culture (cries, tears, revenge, killings)." "More intended for reading than for performance, the work achieved considerable success from its publication." Larousse Encyclopédie

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.

Rare first edition of this literary hoax, spuriously attributed by the translator to Cadmus of Miletus in a lengthy explanatory preface. Illustrated with a frontispiece after Cochin.
Contemporary full blond calf binding. Spine gilt-tooled between raised bands. Red morocco title label. Headcap partly worn and upper joint split at the head. Surface abrasions to the boards.

New edition after the original of 1709. Red and black title pages.
Contemporary full calf binding, decorated raised spine. Red morocco title label. Upper headcap worn. Rubbing. Corners slightly bumped.

NB: This work is available at the bookstore on request within 48 hours.