Signed history books: autograph inscriptions from historians, historical personalities or witnesses of their era, signed copies, historical letters and manuscripts

First edition, one of the press review copies.
Trimmed copy, joints soiled and restored, stain to the lower cover.
Humorous signed autograph inscription by Paul Morand: "Cher Caracalla, j'apprends que vous n'avez jamais reçu mon Fouquet ; en juin dernier je vous l'envoyais avec ma fidèle pensée. Que le diable patafiole le facteur ! Je vous renouvelle ici ma très amicale sympathie. Morand."

First edition, one of 110 numbered copies on Arches pure rag wove paper, the deluxe issue.

A blue ballpoint pen mark to the upper cover, spine and boards lightly and partially sunned, as is often the case.
Untrimmed copy with wide margins, illustrated throughout.
A typed letter of thanks from Pierre Clostermann, signed by him and addressed to Henri Torrès, has been mounted to the left margin of the half-title page.

Our copy is further enriched with two original watercolours (14 x 10.5 cm) depicting two R.A.F. bomber aircraft flown by Pierre Clostermann: the Vickers-Armstrong "Wellington" and the Bristol Beaufort.

We attribute these...

First collective edition.

Not recorded in Chahine, nor in any bibliography consulted.

Contemporary full black sheep, spine richly gilt with decorative motifs, joints rubbed, sides elaborately blind-stamped with a wide central panel within a quadruple gilt fillet border, blue moiré silk endpapers and pastedowns, gilt dentelle border to the pastedowns, gilt rules to the edges, all edges gilt, contemporary binding.

Spine restored, dampstaining at the beginning and end of the volume, restored marginal tear to the title page.

This work comprises a collection of brief biographies of figures involved in the conflicts and negotiations surrounding the struggle for...

One of the very few copies bearing an autograph inscription—fewer than ten are recorded—of this first edition, containing the Marseillaise.
First edition illustrated with an engraved frontispiece by Charles-Étienne Gaucher after Jean-Jacques Le Barbier and four pages of engraved musical score at the end of the volume. La Marseillaise appears here in its true first edition, having first been pre-published in the Almanach des Muses in 1793 and circulated as separate leaves.
Contemporary half-sheepskin binding, smooth spine gilt-decorated with compartments, fleurons and fillets, red morocco title-piece, black pasteboard...

First edition.

A single copy recorded in the CCFr (Roanne).

Contemporary half green calf, smooth spine cracked and with losses, marbled paper boards, original printed wrappers preserved, binding of the period.

Lower board tending to detach.

The Venetian historian Ronaldo Fulin (1824–1884) produced numerous publications and original studies based on the exceptionally rich holdings of the Archivio di Stato of Venice.

The question addressed in this communication is linked to the presumed relations between Columbus and Venice (see the accompanying letters).

Copy from the library of the celebrated Americanist Henry Harrisse (1829–1910), a specialist...

First edition, printed in a small run, of this offprint from the Journal des savants.

Work illustrated with a finely engraved plate printed outside the text.

Some scattered foxing internally and to the wrappers.

Appointed in 1820 to the chair of archaeology at the Sorbonne, succeeding Quatremère de Quincy, Désiré Raoul-Rochette (1789–1854) was chiefly known for his expertise in Greek antiquity. He also served as curator of the Cabinet des médailles.

On the upper cover, authorial presentation inscription from Désiré Raoul-Rochette to the physician and botanist Henri Dutrochet (1776–1847), the discoverer of the phenomena of exosmosis and...

First edition, illustrated with a large folding colour map printed out of text (cf. Tailliart 2645).

Bradel binding in half blue percaline, the smooth spine slightly sunned, the brown skiver lettering-piece lightly rubbed, marbled-paper boards, blue endpapers and pastedowns showing a few small spots, corners softened, top edge sprinkled.

A few light spots.

The only edition of this comprehensive survey of the state of Algeria, published after the death of Jules Ferry (17 March 1893), the driving force behind the senatorial commission that had commissioned the work. It serves as a reminder that Ferry was a staunch advocate of France’s colonial expansion and of the mission...

First edition, illustrated with a single folding plate bearing two figures: a plan of Algiers and its surroundings (cf. Quérard IV, 343 : does not record the plate and gives xlviii pp. for the "pièces à l'appui" indeed, p. xlviii carries, like the final leaf, the printer's address. Tailliart 2420 : does not record the plate).

Minor marginal losses to the spine and boards, a few light spots.

"Causes de la rupture avec Alger. Historique des rapports de la France avec Alger. Les torts des représentants d'Alger dans la Régence pendant ces dernières années. Ultimatum. Blocus. Nécessité d'une enquête ou au moins d'une information spéciale avant d'entreprendre une expédition...

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...

First edition (cf. Tailliart 2540).

Quarter shagreen in a dark bottle-green hue with corner pieces, the smooth spine slightly toned and decorated with blind fillets, marbled paper sides, cat’s-eye patterned endpapers and pastedowns, modern binding signed Honnelaître.

A light marginal dampmark at the foot of the half-title and title pages; scattered, unobtrusive foxing.

The author (1781–1852) was a colonial administrator: "Une introduction de trente pages sur les erreurs de la politique suivie à l’égard des Arabes : trop de faiblesse chez nous ; de glorieuses expéditions, mais pas de résultat positif durable. Il attaque Bresson qui a préconisé la formation d’un empire...

First edition, illustrated with 12 in-text reproductions of coins.

Contemporary half Russian-cherry morocco over marbled boards, smooth spine gilt with a floral tool, date gilt at foot, marbled paste-paper boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt edges at head.

Sole edition, uncommon.

Henri Lavoix (1820–1892) served as curator of the Department of Medals and Antiquities at the Bibliothèque nationale.

At the head of the half-title, which shows heavy foxing, signed presentation inscription from Henri Michel Lavoix to the archaeologist Alban-Emmanuel Guillaume-Rey (1837–1916), a specialist in medieval Syria and in particular the Frankish settlements...

Rare collection, in first edition, of political texts relating to the affairs of Belgium (shaken by the Brabant Revolution since 1787) and the Netherlands (whose opponents of the Stadtholder had often taken refuge in France).

As indicated by the handwritten table bound at the beginning of the volume, this copy constitutes only the first of a series of collections compiled by Roederer (see below) from the memoirs and pamphlets he received while serving as a member of the Constituent Assembly.

Contemporary full mottled fawn calf, smooth spine gilt-decorated with garlands and urns (partly faded), rubbed head- and tailpieces, green morocco title-piece, gilt dentelle and garland...

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...

Very rare first edition.

Only three copies recorded in the CCF (BnF, Sainte-Geneviève, CNAM).

Half blond calf, spine lightly sunned, with five raised bands decorated with gilt and black fillets, tan morocco lettering-piece, marbled paper boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns, mottled comb-marbled edges, original front wrapper preserved; contemporary binding.

The architect of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Christophe-Edouard Mauss (1829–1914), undertook several archaeological missions in the Levant (Salonika, Smyrna, Alexandria) before being sent by the French government to Jerusalem (1862–1874) to restore the Church of Saint Anne. He also developed a...

First edition of this collection of political speeches.

Full red percaline binding, smooth spine without lettering showing slight rubbing, gilt inscription stamped to the upper cover: "République de Guinée R.D.A. à S.E. Jean Paul Sartre. N°30"; endpapers partly toned, a contemporary presentation binding offered to Jean-Paul Sartre.

Frontispiece photographic portrait bearing the autograph signature of President Ahmed Sékou Touré: Secretary General of the Parti Démocratique de Guinée, Supreme Leader of the Revolution.

Rare and sought-after first edition, first issue.

Includes the subscribers' list and the foreword, later removed when the remainder of this edition passed into the hands of another publisher, Dion-Lambert. It also features the pagination error in volume two: page 164 instead of 364. 

Black half-morocco bindings, smooth spines with double gilt fillets and double blind-stamped compartments, black paper boards...

First edition of the French translation, of which no deluxe copies were printed.

Crease to the upper left corner of the lower cover and the last leaves.

Illustrations.

Precious inscribed copy to Bernard Kouchner: "To my dear friend Bernard always true to his beliefs and a great partner. With deep admiration and affection. Madeleine 15/11/03."

First edition, no deluxe copies printed.

A pleasant copy.

Inscribed and signed by Yves Coppens to Emile Noël.

First edition, with no copies printed on deluxe paper.

Minor spots to the covers, not affecting the condition.

Inscribed and signed by Georges Didi-Huberman to a friend named Annick.

First edition of this album of caricatures by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi which he numbered and initialed (copy no. 36). Printed “in small numbers” (Bartholdi Museum), with only six located in institutions (Colmar Museum, BnF, Harvard, UPenn, NYPL, Rutgers University).

Publisher’s blue cloth binding, flat spine gilt-lettered lengthwise, upper board numerously framed in black, anchors and stars stamped in black at the corners, title and date gilt-stamped; lower board numerously framed in black, black stars at the corners and a central anchor, red edges. Slight rubbing to joints, faint...

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

Illustrated, complete with the two folding maps at the end of the volume.

Inscribed by René Grousset: "A monsieur Benoist-Méchin en témoignage de profonde reconnaissance" and additionally signed by Geneviève Grousset.

Accompanied by a one-page autograph letter signed by René Grousset to Jacques Benoist-Méchin, in which he thanks him for his interventions on behalf of his son-in-law and daughter, whom he saved.

First edition, printed in a small number of copies, of this offprint from the Revue de Paris dated 15 February 1906.

Émile Boutmy was the founder of the École libre des sciences politiques, which would later become the Institut d'études politiques de Paris, now widely known as Sciences Po.

Wrappers slightly toned at the margins, inevitable minor edge tears and small losses consistent with the fragile nature of the pamphlet.

Inscribed and signed by Lucien Lévy-Bruhl: "A Emile Durkheim, affectueusement, L.L.B."

First edition, one of 150 numbered copies, the only copies on deluxe paper.

Inscribed and signed by Jean-Pierre Abel to Paul Devivat.

Rare and handsome copy with full margins.

First edition, no copies printed on deluxe paper.
Illustrated, a pleasant copy

Precious and very fine autograph inscription, dated and signed by Samuel Mbajum: "Paris, 30 June 2014, au ministre Bernard Kouchner, avec ma sympathie pour votre combat humanitaire, en espérant que vous m'aiderez à plaider le plus largement possible la cause de ces oubliés de l'histoire franco-africaine, et aussi des débats sur la commémoration de la Grande Guerre."

First edition of this rare album illustrated with 15 line-engraved plates, each protected by a tissue guard and accompanied by a caption leaf, including a reproduction of the author's portrait drawn by Ingres in Rome in 1818.

Publisher's original full grey boards, flat spine without lettering, some rubbing, blind-ruled borders on covers, a scratch to the foot of the upper cover, central title, corners rubbed.

Some foxing.

Inscribed by Antoine-Marie Chenavard to his friend Antonin L., with the author's signed presentation note.

Very rare collection comprising offprints of original editions of articles and reviews first published in the Journal des savants or the Bulletin de l'École française d'Extrême-Orient.

Bradel binding in green bottle cloth-backed boards, flat spine decorated with a central gilt ornament and double gilt fillet at foot, red morocco title label, marbled paper boards, some original wrappers preserved, modern binding signed Boichot.

Most of the fascicles are by the Indologist Auguste Barth (1834–1916), one of the founders of the École française d'Extrême-Orient, and the originator of Indochinese epigraphy through his studies of Sanskrit inscriptions in Cambodia. He...

Rare collector’s head volume of this fascinating economic, agricultural, and industrial journal founded by economist and statistician César Moreau (1791–1860), who also established the "Société française de statistique" (cf. BNF, "Catalogue collectif des périodiques", III, p. 157. Not in Hatin.)

Text printed in three columns.

Contemporary half brown sheepskin binding, smooth spine gilt-ruled with decorative panels, joints rubbed and professionally restored, marbled paper-covered boards, corners worn, yellow edges speckled with red.
Issue no. 23 of the second year is lacking from our set, which collation is as follows:

• 1) 8 pp. comprising the society’s...

First edition describing 1,271 objects, illustrated with 3 full-page line-engraved plates.

Inscribed on the upper cover with a signed autograph presentation from François Lenormant to the eighth Duke of Luynes (1802–1867).

Minor foxing, light creasing to the upper cover.

Very rare first edition of the author's very first work, in which he clearly sought to draw attention during this period of revival of the national stud farms, abolished during the Revolution and officially reinstated in 1806 (see Mennessier de La Lance II, 138).

Contemporary full marbled fawn calf, flat spine richly gilt with garlands, Greek keys, floral tools and geometric motifs, green morocco title labels, gilt rolls on the almost faded caps, gilt ornamental borders on covers, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillet on edges, worn corners, sprinkled edges.

Facing the title page, signed autograph inscription by Louis de Maleden to "Messieurs Talendier et...

First edition, no deluxe copies on fine paper were issued.

Spine and rear cover slightly soiled; a clean and attractive copy internally.

Illustrations.

Valuable signed presentation copy from General Gambiez: "A monsieur J. Debu-Bridel en bien cordial hommage cet envoi de synthèse sur la libération de la Corse cette île qui nous est si chère. Château de Vincennes 26 septembre 1974."

A moving relic of the Resistance and Gaullist legacy.

First edition, printed in a small number of copies on laid paper, extracted from the Journal asiatique; a single copy recorded in the CCF (Strasbourg).

Rare copy preserved in its original blue paper wrappers, as issued.

Traces of a label on the left margin of the front cover, a pleasing copy overall.

Inscribed by Giovanni Antonio Arri on the upper cover to archaeologist Désiré Raoul-Rochette (1789–1854), then a member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres.

Rare first edition, privately printed in small numbers, of this offprint from the Recueil des notices et mémoires de la Société archéologique de Constantine, vol. XXIV.

Only two copies recorded in the French collective catalogue (BnF and Lyon).

Vertical crease visible throughout the booklet.

Preserved in its original grey paper wrappers, without lettering, with the title and author's name handwritten in pencil.

A member of the Congregation of the White Fathers, particularly active in North Africa, Alfred-Louis Delattre (1850–1932) was first sent as a missionary to Algeria, later becoming chaplain of the Saint-Louis Church in Carthage, and eventually...

First edition of the French translation, illustrated with a frontispiece portrait of Iwakura Tomomi.

Contemporary binding in navy blue long-grain half morocco, flat spine decorated with gilt fillets and blind-stamped fleurons, red morocco lettering-piece running lengthwise, green cloth boards, minor fading and rubbing to covers, original blank wrappers preserved; modern binding.

Iwakura Tomomi (1825–1883) was a prominent figure of the Meiji era, whose influence played a key role in Japan's transformation.

Some handwritten annotations in ink and pencil on a pastedown, and an inscription in ink reading "Trautz (?) Kyoto. Jan 1935" on the endpaper.

Inscribed...

First edition, printed in very limited numbers, of this offprint from the Revue archéologique, illustrated with 12 textual figures and 3 plates; only two copies listed in the CCF (Quai d'Orsay and Strasbourg).

Contemporary Bradel binding in olive green cloth-backed marbled boards, smooth spine with red morocco title label, original wrappers bound in.

Christophe-Edouard Mauss (1829–1914), architect to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was entrusted with several archaeological missions in the East (Thessaloniki, Smyrna, Alexandria), and was later sent by the French government to Jerusalem (1862–1874) to oversee the restoration of the Church of Saint Anne. He also...

First edition, printed in a small number of copies, of this offprint from the Journal asiatique.

Minor foxing, light discoloration spots to the margins, at the beginning and end of the volume.

Bradel binding in blue cloth-backed marbled boards with corners, smooth spine slightly darkened, cherry red shagreen title label, gilt initials at foot, marbled paper-covered boards.

A pupil of Silvestre de Sacy like so many others, Joseph-Toussaint Reinaud (1795–1867) succeeded him in 1838 at the chair of living Oriental languages; his primary scholarly interest was directed toward the Arab world. Copy from the library of agronomist Adrien de Gasparin (1783–1862), father...

First edition, illustrated with 31 plates outside the text, including a map, some folding or double-page. (cf Hague Chahine 1505).

A few insignificant spots of foxing, a pleasing copy overall.

Contemporary Bradel binding in green cloth-backed boards, smooth spine with gilt date at foot, red shagreen title label with a small angular defect, boards covered with 'cat’s eye' marbled paper. Contemporary binding.

The volume is also decorated with numerous illustrations in the text and is an offprint from the Nouvelles Archives des Missions scientifiques, vol. X, documenting the archaeological expedition in the Harra region, conducted alongside Frédéric...

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 of the French translation.
Illustrated with photographs by Erica Anderson, with text and captions by Eugène Exman.

Preface by Daniel Halévy.
Pleasing copy complete with its illustrated dust jacket, showing minor losses and angular tears to the spine, along with some marginal scuffing to the panels.

Bookplate affixed to the inside front cover.

Rare dated and signed presentation inscription by Albert Schweitzer on a blank flyleaf: "A monsieur Bernard Tessier en souvenir de son passage à Lambaréné le 1.9.1956, Albert Schweitzer."

Original edition printed in a limited number of copies of this excerpt from Bulletin of the Société de géographie (1882-1883).

This text was re-edited in 1885 by Hachette.

Work illustrated with figures in the text and a large folding map at the end (Route from Médine to Nango by the Gallieni mission).

Binding in black half-shagreen, spine with five raised bands decorated with cold fillets, boards of handmade paper, preserved original covers, modern binding signed by Boichot.

Covers restored with some stains, pleasant interior condition.

Work illustrated with figures in the text and a large folding map at the end (Route from Médine to Nango by the...

First edition, with no copies printed on deluxe paper.

A pleasing copy.

Signed autograph inscription from Yves Coppens to Emile Noël.

New edition, partly original as revised, of this study first published in 1858 in the Revue des Deux Mondes (Sabin 40127. Ryckebusch 5041).

Minor chips to the corners of the covers, some occasional foxing.

A member of one of the oldest families in Martinique, Romuald Le Pelletier de Saint-Rémy (1809–1882) served as president of the Central Agency of Colonial Banks; he wrote extensively on West Indian issues and colonial ventures in South America.

Inscribed by the author Romuald Le Pelletier de Saint-Rémy on the front free endpaper.

Rare first edition illustrated with an original frontispiece etching by Raoul Cordier, depicting an authentic portrait of Nasser-ed-Din.

Minor losses and tears to the soiled cover margins, with a larger marginal loss to the rear cover; clean and attractive internal condition.

The only edition of this biography written on the occasion of Nasser-ed-Din Shah Qajar's (1831–1896) second European tour. He ruled Persia from 1848 until his death and was the first Persian monarch to visit the West. The reforms he introduced to the country ultimately led to his assassination by a fanatic.

Inscribed and signed by Edmond Dutemple to Monsieur Brunet, with date.

New edition, with mention of the print run.
Illustrated.
Two losses to the spine; complete with its illustrated dust jacket, which shows small chips and angular tears. One gathering poorly opened with minor marginal losses not affecting the text.

Bookplate affixed to the verso of the front cover.

Rare signed presentation inscription by Albert Schweitzer: "A monsieur et madame André Fontan en souvenir de leur passage à Lambarené le 2.6.1963, avec mes bonnes pensées. Albert Schweitzer."

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, one of 1,500 copies printed on vellum paper, this one unnumbered.

A handsome copy.

Illustrated with a frontispiece by Jean Berque.

Exceptional full-page signed presentation inscription from Abel Bonnard to Hubert Lyautey, the first Resident-General of the French Protectorate in Morocco: "A monsieur le maréchal Lyautey, qui, marmi tant d'autres illustres, a aussi sauvé la beauté du Maroc. En respectueux hommage. Abel Bonnard."

First edition on ordinary paper.
Small tears repaired at head and foot of spine.
Half black morocco binding, smooth spine, gilt date at foot, decorative abstract patterned paper boards, blue paper endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers and spine preserved, binding signed Thomas Boichot.
Rare and precious autograph inscription signed by Charles De Gaulle on this text which he dedicated to Marshal Pétain: "A mon ami Louis Borel en souvenir de ses précieux conseils et de sa fidélité. Avec mon bien cordial témoignage. 7 octobre 1938. Charles." (To my friend Louis Borel in remembrance of his precious advice and his loyalty. With my most cordial testimony. October 7, 1938...

First edition, one of 175 numbered copies on pur fil wove paper, this being copy No. 1, specially printed for Madame General Frère, one of the deluxe issue.

Contemporary full red shagreen, spine with four raised bands decoratively tooled in blind with fillets and a coat of arms, light rubbing to the joints, gilt rolls to the spine ends, spotting to the boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillet border to the pastedowns, gilt rules to the edges, corners slightly bumped, top edge gilt, others untrimmed.
General Aubert Frère was notably a hero of the French Resistance, serving as organizer and commander of the Resistance within the Army; he was arrested by the Nazis in...

Printed visiting card of G. Clemenceau bearing the following autograph addition: "avec mes amicaux remerciements. GC."

A fine copy.

New edition.

A pleasing copy.

Inscribed and signed by Jean Raspail : "A M. Claude Fricker, des camp des amis (word underlined), avec ma fidèle et fraternel souvenir, Jean Raspail. 7 juin 1994."

First edition, with the false statement of 16th edition.

Light discoloration at the head of the spine and along the left margin of the upper cover.

Autograph inscription signed by Léon Blum to Charles-André Julien: "à André Julien, son camarade fidèle et son ami reconnaissant, Léon Blum."

Charles-André Julien was one of the leaders of the Communist Party in Algeria. He left it in 1926 and contributed to the journal Clartés edited by Henri Barbusse.

A committed anti-colonialist and activist, he established contacts with independence movements, notably with the group formed around Habib Bourguiba, who became his friend...

First illustrated edition issued for the Club français des bibliophiles, one of the numbered copies.
Publisher’s full olive-green cloth bindings, smooth spines, gilt medallions in relief depicting General de Gaulle and Free France stamped at the centres of the upper covers, fine copies complete with their original glassine wrappers.
A complete set in three volumes, richly illustrated.
Autograph inscription dated and signed by Charles de Gaulle in the first volume, manuscript signatures dated in the second and third volumes.

First edition of the French translation, one of 21 numbered copies on pur fil paper, deluxe issue.

Bradel binding in half blue percaline, smooth spine, floral motif, date and double gilt fillets at the foot, hazel morocco title label with some scuffing, marbled paper boards, covers and spine preserved, top edge gilt, contemporary binding.

The text by Friedrich Sieburg is followed by a letter from Bernard Grasset to the latter.

Fine dated and signed autograph inscription, from London, by Friedrich Sieburg to Monsieur de Fleuriau, then French ambassador in London: "... en le priant de ne voir dans ce livre que l'attrait que la France exerça sur son auteur...

First edition, with no deluxe paper copies issued, this being one of the publisher's review copies.

Inscribed copy, dated and signed by Georges Dumézil to Alfred Ernoul.

First edition of this lecture delivered to the Groupe d'Etude Sociales de Montpellier, for which no deluxe paper copies were issued.

A rare and pleasing copy.

Author's signed presentation inscription by Dr R. Vargas at the head of the upper cover: "A l'auteur de l' "Amour libre" affecteux hommage mon camarade, Dr Vargas (chez Mr Galtié Bd Henri IV, 18, Montpellier.)

Rare first edition.

Small tears and losses to the head and foot of the spine, spine and covers marginally sunned.

Signed autograph inscription from Jacques Mesnil to Charles Albert.

Some manuscript corrections and reading marks in blue pencil in the margins of certain paragraphs.

First edition, illustrated with figures in the text (cf. Hage Chahine, 4405.)

Contemporary bradel binding in full beige percaline, smooth spine darkened, olive green shagreen lettering-piece, binding of the period.

Occasional foxing.

The sole edition of one of the earliest works by the numismatist Gustave-Léon Schlumberger (1844-1929), who specialised in the history of the Crusades and the Byzantine Empire.

Autograph inscription signed by Gustave-Léon Schlumberger to the archaeologist Alban-Emmanuel Guillaume-Rey (1837-1916), a specialist of medieval Syria.

New illustrated edition with plates hors-texte.

Bindings in half red shagreen with corners, spines with four raised bands gilt with dotted tooling and decorated with double gilt compartments; some rubbing to the spines; two water stains, to the left margin of the upper board of the first volume and to the right margin of the lower board of the second volume; a few marks to the corners; boards of cat’s-eye paper framed with double gilt fillets; marbled endpapers and pastedowns.

At the head of the first volume, a signed autograph presentation inscription by Lazare-Hippolyte-Sadi Carnot to General Henri Joseph Brugère.

First edition, one of the 10 numbered and justified copies on japon paper, the only large-paper issue announced.

Contemporary half brown morocco binding in the Bradel style, smooth spine, marbled paper boards, handmade endpapers, bookplate affixed to the front pastedown, original wrappers and spine preserved, top edge gilt, period binding.

Signed and dated autograph inscription from Jean Puget to his publisher Pierre Briquet: "... en souvenir des jours héroïques..."

Provenance: from the personal library of publisher Pierre Briquet, with his bookplate affixed to the front pastedown.

Exceptionally rare copy featuring...

First edition; one of the press copies.

A pleasing copy.

Signed autograph presentation inscription from Pierre Drieu la Rochelle to Germaine Fiévé.

First edition, with no copies printed on deluxe paper.

A very good copy.

Inscribed by Maurice Druon to a friend named Henri: "... pour les souvenirs d'une année de travail qui devint une année d'amitié."

Rare and sought-after first edition, first issue, with exceptionally added plates from the first illustrated edition, published that same year. 34 full-page engravings after Demoraine, Gagnier, Staal and engraved by F. Delannoy.

Includes the subscribers’ list and the foreword, which will be removed for the second issue when the remainder of this edition was bought by another publisher, Dion-Lambert. It also features the pagination error in volume two: page 164 instead of 364.

With a scribal letter...

First edition, for which no copies were issued on deluxe paper.

Spine lightly wrinkled, a small loss at the foot of the lower board; otherwise a pleasing copy.

Signed autograph inscription by Maurice Genevoix.

First edition of the French translation by Edouard Chavannes of an extract from the Journal of the Peking oriental society. 

Contemporary Bradel-style binding in full grey percaline, smooth spine decorated with a gilt fleur-de-lis, double gilt fillet at the foot, cherry shagreen lettering-piece with surface scuffing, partially toned endpapers.

This was the translator’s first scholarly publication devoted to this treatise, which forms the twenty-eighth chapter of the celebrated Shiji (Historical Records) by the first true Chinese historian, Sima Qian (145–86 BCE).

These records constitute the first systematic synthesis of...

First edition of the French translation prepared by J. de Rey-Pailhade and Henry-Joseph Sauvaire, issued in a small printing as an offprint from the Journal asiatique.

A few small spots of foxing; a pleasing and uncommon copy.

Half green cloth, smooth spine with red morocco title-label, ‘œil-de-chat’ patterned paper over boards, sprinkled edges.

Illustrated with two double-page plates outside the text.

Born in Marseille, Henri Sauvaire (1831–1896) began his career in the consular service before turning to Near-Eastern archaeology.

On the half-title, a presentation inscription in the hand of Henri-Joseph Sauvaire to the archaeologist...

First edition (only three copies recorded in the CCFr: BnF, Lyon and Montpellier).

Blank spine split with small losses, a few instances of foxing.

The sole edition of this small, learned and appealing dissertation.

Paul Saint-Olive (1799–1879), engraver and contributor to the Revue du Lyonnais, was a tireless seeker of curiosities (cf. Vingtrinier (Aimé): Paul Saint-Olive, archéologue lyonnais, Lyon, 1877).

Signed autograph inscription by Paul Saint-Olive to Doctor Girard on the inside of the upper cover.

First edition, printed in a small number, of this scarce offprint from the Revue archéologique, illustrated with 11 figures in the text and 3 folding plates.

Only two copies recorded in the CCF (Quai d'Orsay and Strasbourg).

The architect of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Christophe-Edouard Mauss (1829-1914), had been entrusted with several archaeological missions in the Levant (Salonica, Smyrna, Alexandria), before being appointed by the French government to Jerusalem (1862-1874) to restore the Church of Saint Anne.

He also developed a keen interest in ancient metrology, on which he published several monographs.

A pleasing copy.

Autograph...

Rare first edition of this fervent—indeed visionary—appeal to bring the Orient under the sway of the combined powers of the State and the Christian religion, informed by such an overtly Eurocentric outlook that the work is almost unreadable today, yet remains an eloquent record of the illusions prevailing in the West in the mid-nineteenth century.

Corners restored at the outer tips of the boards, some scattered foxing, and a stain to the right margin of the upper cover.

In an admirably prophetic vein, the author exclaims: "La civilisation chrétienne, qui ne cesse d'agrandir son cercle, ne s'arrêtera pas devant le Coran, et ce n'est pas la loi de Mahomet qui présidera au...

First edition.

Minor losses at head and foot of the spine, which is slightly sunned; a few small spots of foxing.

Alongside a distinguished career in the colonial troops, in Senegal and Indochina, General Henri Frey (1847–1932) also cultivated literary and scholarly ambitions. This unusual thesis was, of course, neither substantiated nor taken up subsequently …

On the upper margin of the half-title, an autograph inscription by Henri Frey to Commandant Étienne Lunet de Lajonquières [here spelled Jonquières] (1861–1933), of the Marine Infantry, archaeologist and ethnographer, and also a key figure in the organisation of the preservation of Historical Monuments in...

Fourth separate issue of this memoir. The text first appeared in the Description de l’Égypte, before being reissued in several offprints (cf. Meulenaere p. 80.)

Our copy is preserved in its original wrappers, under temporary green paper covers, spine restored, minor marginal losses and a few tears to the covers, internally in pleasing condition.

At the head of the front free endpaper, autograph inscription by Du Bois-Aymé “à son honorable collège et ami Monsieur Etienne”.

Du Bois-Aymé (1779-1846), who embarked on the Tonnant, travelled to Egypt as a student of the École Polytechnique. He sat his examinations there, at the same time as...

First edition (cf. Playfair, 533; Tailliart, 2295).

Spine cracked with small tears, some foxing. 

General considerations on the colonisation of Algiers, its aims and its results. On the Arabs. The various systems of occupation, etc.

At the head of the front wrapper, an autograph presentation inscription from Amédée Hippolyte de Brossard to Marshal Clausel.