Women Writers

The first edition, of which there were no deluxe copies, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
Precious autograph inscription signed by Lucienne Favre to Maurice Blanchot.

First edition, of which there were no deluxe copies, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
Precious signed autograph inscription from Louise Lefrancois-Pillion to Maurice Blanchot: "pour Maurice Blanchet" (sic) ["for Maurice Blanchet"].
Work illustrated with 10 sketches in the text as well as 16 plates.

First edition, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
Precious autograph inscription signed by Madeleine Chapsal to Maurice Blanchot.
A small tear at head of first cover, otherwise handsome copy.

The first edition, of which there were no deluxe copies, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
Precious autograph inscription signed by Anne-Marie de Vilaine to Maurice Blanchot.
Handsome copy complete with publisher's (advertising) slip.

First edition, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
Precious autograph inscription signed by Colette Yver to Maurice Blanchot.
Two tears repaired at head and foot of spine, worming on top edge.

First edition, an advance (service de presse) copy.
Handsome autograph inscription from Annette Vaillant to Maurice Blanchot.

The first edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Signed and inscribed copy.
Iconography.
Very light worming to edges without significance.

First edition, one of 56 numbered copies on pur fil, the only large paper copies.
A fine copy.

First edition, one of 15 numbered copies on Hollande, the only large paper copies.
Foxing in the margins to the covers and some extended edges.
A copy with good margins.

First edition, small printrun, of the first work by Marguerite Yourcenar, written under her semi-pseudonym of Marg Yourcenar
A very good and rare copy of this work, of which there were no large paper copies.

First edition, one of 56 numbered copies on Arches, tirage de tête after 16 Annam.
A good copy.

First edition, one of 23 numbered copies on alfa, the only large paper copies after 10 copies on pur fil paper. Nice copy.

The rare first edition, long attributed to Madame de La Fayette, and published the same year as La Princesse de Clèves, then to Courtilz de Sandras and even to Pierre Daniel Huet.
Late nineteenth-century full morocco binding signed Bellevallée glazed old red. Jansenist spine with raised bands. Wide gilt inner border. Date at foot. Very fine copy, perfectly established, with wide margins, and unwashed.
Unlike La Princesse de Clèves, or La Princesse de Montpensier, the Mémoires de Hollande is not a historical novella, but presents itself as a novel of manners that uses modern first names. The work describes, through the love affair between a Jewish woman and a Lusignan, life in the Netherlands around the mid-seventeenth century; it is one of the few novels daring to confront reality as it is, and the work deserves to be distinguished in the invention of French romantic literature on this account. The book is of interest for the history and topography of the Netherlands. It should be noted that this work was found in the greatest amateur libraries of the nineteenth century. (Lignerolles, Rochebilière, Rothschild, Téchener, etc.)

First edition, illustrated with 11 plates, 7 of which are folding (anatomy, hermaphrodite sex, Hottentot...).
Contemporary full sheep binding with root grain. Smooth spine decorated with compartments à la grotesque. Beige morocco title and volume labels. Cold-tooled roll frame on boards. Upper joint cracked at head of volume I, and lower joint cracked at head and foot. A lack at head of volume III. Rather good copy, fresh.
Without prejudice for the period, and judging things essentially as a naturalist, observing and comparing facts to his knowledge, this history of woman, not only through history but according to nations (the Hottentots are often studied) is fascinating in more ways than one, notably because the author never falls into pure naturalism but always questions the relationship of a fact to all the components of the feminine being, components as much social, vestimentary, cultural as traditional and physical. The hygiene treatise forming the third volume is a physiological treatise, Moreau analyzing the consequences of this physiology on behavior, sensitivity and feminine particularities.

New edition of the French translation and first printing of illustrations by T. Johannot and Jacque.

Bradel binding in half hazelnut brown shagreen, smooth spine, joints very slightly rubbed at head, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers preserved, top edge gilt. Light marginal dampstain of no consequence at head of first leaf, occasional foxing.

Work illustrated with a frontispiece and 11 wood-engraved figures, printed on China paper and mounted on heavy paper by T. Johannot as well as 170 vignettes in the text.
Text preceded by an essay on the life and works of Sterne by Jules Janin.

First edition, an advance (service de presse) copy.
Half cherry-red morocco over marbled paper boards by Goy & Vilaine, spine in six compartments, marbled pastedowns and endpapers, covers (slightly wormed, spine sunned) preserved, top edge gilt. Endpapers and half-title faded, a few small marginal spots.
Important inscription from Colette to Viscountess Jeanne de Bellune: « Affectueux souvenir de sa vieille amie » (“affectionate remembrance from her old friend...”)

The Viscountess of Juromenha, this end of century darling, was the lover of several intellectual female figures in the early 20th century, such as Renée Vivien and Liane de Pougy, who described her as “little gnome”. There remains no image of this “most comical lesbian”(Jacques Ars) in public collections and the only portrait we know of is that sketched by Natalie Clifford Barney, that of a “drunkard with a red face and no beauty”.

A handsome copy in a nice binding with an exceptional provenance.

First edition, an advance (service de presse) copy.
An important inscription from Colette to her friend Louise Vallée "... à la chatte grise rayée et à madame Louise Vallée...[to the stripy grey cat and to Madame Louise Vallée]"
Spine faded, a small stain to upper cover, endpapers and half title sunned, otherwise internally good.

First edition printed in a small number on laid paper.
Publisher's binding in full cardboard covered with a chemise with flaps, spine faded.
Enigmatic inscription from G. de Montgomery to Madame in the form of a quatrain echoing the verses of the poem "Hommages" which appears in this collection, to herself.

First edition for which there were no large paper copies.
Affectionate autograph inscription from Claire Goll to a couple of his acquaintance.

First edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Half sand morocco binding with corners, spine with five raised bands set with gilt fillets decorated with triple gilt compartments, date at foot, gilt fillet frames on marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, covers and spine preserved, bookplate pasted on endpaper, top edge gilt, elegant binding signed Semet & Plumelle.
Rare and very handsome copy perfectly bound.
Provenance: from Albert Natural's collection of Swiss Romand poets which he assembled from the twenties onwards.

Selection of 38 pieces for children.
Full tawny sheep binding with root-grain pattern. Smooth spine with gilt tooling, fleurons and decorative borders, rubbing notably to headcaps and joints. Fine stylized roll-tooled border. Orange shagreen title-label. Speckled edges. Contemporary binding. Leading edges rubbed, two small lacks at foot of second board. Scattered foxing. Illustrated with two engravings, including a frontispiece and title vignette. Initial letters and tailpieces.
Our copy is complete with all its pages, but ff. 121 and 123, 125 and 127, 137 and 139, 141 and 143 have been transposed.

Second edition, ostensibly published by the same publisher as the first in 1759, with the same collation. Novel published anonymously and purported to be translated from English (it would later be translated by Frances Brooke, with whom the author was acquainted).
Contemporary marbled sheep binding. Spine with raised bands, decorated. Red morocco title label. One corner bumped and worn. Rubbing.
Marie-Jeanne Riccoboni (1713-1792) was, after being a mediocre actress by necessity, a novelist highly appreciated in her time, to such an extent that her peers refused to acknowledge that the author was a woman. Her first novel was an immediate success and the following ones were even better received, praised for the fineness of style and interest of details, placing Madame Riccoboni among the best novelists of the 18th century.

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

First French edition, translated by Isabelle de Montolieu. Illustrated with a frontispiece by Le Cerf. The half-title of volume 1 is normally replaced by two catalogue leaves.
Contemporary full speckled calf bindings. Smooth spines decorated with two Grotesque compartments, urn tools and multiple fillets. Red title label and black volume labels. Charming, decorative set. Some surface wear, small lack to one headcap.
Caroline Pichler was born in Vienna in 1769. She was very early classified among child prodigies, and her first novel appeared in 1799, but it was with Agathocles (1808) that she quickly achieved success and was translated throughout Europe. Here is what can be found in Michaud's universal bibliography about her: "This book, which appeared at the time of the publication of Chateaubriand's Martyrs, rests on the same foundation, and is only the development of the same idea in a different form. Nothing is more curious and interesting than comparing these two works composed for the same purpose and at the same time, in such different languages and countries." (see the translator's note which exonerates Madame Pichler from any possible imitation). Caroline Pichler was for a long time the center of Viennese literary life thanks to her salon, she published her last novel in 1840.

First edition.
Contemporary half calf bindings. Decorated spine with raised bands. Red morocco title label and brown sheep volume label. Lacks to headcaps of volume IV. A small lack to tail of volume III. Rubbing. Quite good copies, very fresh.
The complete set comprises 24 plays. Many of these plays were originally intended for the children of Orléans under the care of the Comtesse de Genlis. The roles are performed by children. Madame de Genlis thus inaugurated a new genre in theatre, a theatre made by and for children. In the final volume, the preface specifies that this volume is intended solely for the children of artisans and merchants. It goes without saying that none of the plays is without a certain moral lesson which it demonstrates.
Volume I: Agar dans le désert; La belle et la bête; Les flacons; L'isle heureuse; L'enfant gâté; La curieuse; Les dangers du monde. Volume II: L'aveugle de Spa; La colombe; Cécile ou le sacrifice de l'amitié; Les ennemies généreuses; La bonne mère; L'intrigante. Volume III: Le bal d'enfans; Le voyageur; Vathek; Les faux amis; Le magistrat. Volume IV: La rosière de Salency; La marchande de mode; La lingère; Le libraire; Le vrai sage; Le portrait.

Second edition published the same year as the first.

Half sheep binding in hazelnut, smooth spine decorated with gilt friezes, stippling and typographical motifs with minor rubbing, head worn, old rose paper boards with small discoloration stains, reinforced corners, endpapers with marginal shadowing without consequence, contemporary binding.

First edition.
Novel published anonymously and claimed to be translated from English. It would in fact later be translated into English by Frances Brooke, with whom the author was in contact.
Contemporary full marbled blonde calf binding. Decorated spine with raised bands. Red morocco title label. Lower joint cracked at head along the first compartment, one corner bumped and worn.
Marie-Jeanne Riccoboni (1713-1792), was, after having been a mediocre actress by necessity, a novelist highly appreciated in her time, to such an extent that her peers refused to acknowledge that the author was a woman. Her first novel had immediate success and the following ones were even better received, praised for the fineness of style and the interest of details, placing Madame Riccoboni among the best novelists of the 18th century.
NB: This work is available at the bookshop on request within 48 hours.

First edition. A folding portrait frontispiece. At the end of the work: "Piéces tirées des ouvrages faits à l'honneur du Brave Crillon, après sa mort," and "Histoire de la maison Balbe de Quiers." A table of contents allows one to follow and locate all the protagonists of this history.
Contemporary full marbled calf bindings. Decorated spine with raised bands. Red morocco title and volume labels. Head headcaps worn. Joint cracked at head of volume I. Corners bumped on volume I.
Historical work attributed to Mademoiselle de Lussan, which she certainly wrote in collaboration with Nicolas Baudot de Jully (1678-1759), historian and tax collector of Vendôme. Louis des Balbes Crillon was a famous captain who served successfully under several kings, including Henri IV, who called him 'The foremost captain in the world'. History remembered his valor and probity, notably during the assassination of the Duke of Guise and during the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. He was from Provence and gave his name to a village that is famous today: Crillon le Brave.

First edition, one of 50 copies numbered and initialed by the author on Madagascar paper, the only deluxe copies.
Marginal foxing affecting the endpaper as well as the half-title and title pages, a tiny marginal perforation at the head of the front cover, slight marginal discoloration at the head of the back cover.
Rare deluxe copy of this novel inspired by the theories developed by Sigmund Freud on sexuality.

First edition, one of 25 hors commerce copies on green paper, deluxe issue with 25 Arches.
Cover illustrated by Mario Prassinos.
Margins very lightly and marginally bleached without significance.

First edition, an advance (service de presse) copy.
Handsome autograph inscription from Claire Goll, retaining its advertising slip.

First edition, of which there were no deluxe copies.
Autograph inscription from Valentine Verlain.
Work illustrated with numerous illustrations in the text and plates.
Handsome copy, publisher's wraparound band preserved pasted in the inner margins.
Rare.

First edition for which there were no large paper copies.
A very good and rare copy.

First edition of the French translation, one of 250 numbered copies on vellum, the only deluxe copies.
A tiny marginal tear to the front cover, handsome copy.

First edition of the French translation, one of 220 numbered copies on alfa paper, the only deluxe copies.
Handsome copy.

New edition, more complete than the previous ones. The first dates from 1694.
Contemporary full marbled calf binding. Decorated spine with raised bands. Red morocco title label. Red edges. Handsome copy.
Antoinette Ligier de la Garde was married at 13 to Sieur Deshoulières, a woman of taste and wit, she cared only to live as she pleased. She was however the first female academician (Arles). She was an original mind, whose verses contain a certain interiority. It was her friends who urged her to publish her poems which had considerable success. After her death her daughter published all of her poems, adding her own.

First duodecimo edition of this selection compiled by Sainte-Beuve.
Half bronze sheep binding, spine in four compartments decorated with gilt fillets and dotted lines, chocolate shagreen title label, contemporary binding.
A few scattered light foxing spots of no consequence.

First edition. Tchemerzine V-829
Contemporary glazed blonde marbled calf. Spine with raised bands, decorated. Red morocco title label. Speckled edges. Upper headcap worn.
The work, besides new letters from Mme de Sévigné to Président Moulceau, contains several letters to the same from Corbinelli and Mme de Grignan; it includes a reprint of the correspondence regarding the Fouquet trial, composed of 11 letters. The preface has been attributed to La Harpe.

First edition on ordinary paper.
Handsome autograph inscription from the author to Colette.
Spine faded as usual, two small glued tears to head and to foot of a joint, a leave badly cut by the dedicatee with small marginal lacks.

First edition with no mention of deluxe copies.
Spine faded, sunned and with lacks at head and foot, front board detached and re-glued, slight marginal lacks to boards, interior without foxing.
Rare.

Second edition, published shortly after the first.
Full tawny sheep binding, early 20th century. Jansenist spine with raised bands. Red morocco title-label. Edges gilt. Handsome copy.
Memoirs of the very famous tragedienne Hyppolyte de la Tude Clairon (1723-1803), who was revered by the greatest figures (Diderot, Voltaire, Louis XV...). The actress was not content with success alone but contributed to profoundly regenerating French theater. Marmontel was her lover and encouraged her to abandon the declamatory style. The portrait of Mlle Dumesnil, who was long her rival, contains great acrimony. The work is not composed like classic memoirs but rather as a succession of articles and chapters addressing different themes more or less personal; one will find letters, reviews of plays...

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

New edition.
Half dark green shagreen binding, spine with five raised bands decorated with typographical motifs and gilt fillets, blind-ruled frames on bottle green paper boards, gilt arms of the City of Paris at center of front cover, prize binding.
With frontispiece portrait of Sophie Germain.
Text preceded by a study on the life and works of S. Germain by H. Stupuy.
Handsome copy almost entirely free of foxing.

First edition on ordinary paper, false statement of third edition, only 25 copies were printed on Arches deluxe paper.
Rare and handsome copy.

First edition, one of 185 numbered copies on Holland paper.
Handsome copy, retaining its deckled edges with some light worming.

First edition in French, one of 550 numbered copies on alfa paper, the only issue with 25 hors commerce copies.
Spine lightly sunned, a small harmless stain on the front cover, otherwise a handsome copy.

First edition in French.
Signatures of Frédéric Paulhan on the front cover and half-title page.
Spine with a small lack at foot and another at head. Rare.