Mercure de France, n°353 à n°356, tome XCVI, année 1912

First edition.
Full soft mouse-grey cardboard binding, original wrappers preserved, contemporary binding.
Contributions by A.-Ferdinand Hérold "Pierre Quillard", O. Uzanne "Madame de Pompadour intellectuelle, comédienne et organisatrice de théâtre intime", R. Martineau "Les Débuts de Léon Bloy", E. Corot "Madame de Sauge", F. Viélé-Griffin "La Délimitation du 'Barrérisme' ", J. Mesnil "La Crise italienne", P. Lavedan "Balzac et Moléri, ou le curieux dilemme", L. Tolstoï "La Sonate à Kreutzer", P. Louis "La Crise de l'état moderne", E. Herpin "Chateaubriand et sa cousine Mère des séraphins", L. Séché "David d'Angers au cénacle de Joseph Delorme", G.-C. Cros, F. Toussaint "Gina Laura".
Copy illustrated with drawings by A. Rouveyre.
Handsome interior condition.
The 'Mercure de France' originated as a French periodical, founded in the 17th century under the name 'Mercure Galant', which evolved to become a publishing house in the 20th century.
Under the impetus of Rémy de Gourmont and Alfred Jarry, a literary review revived the name 'Mercure de France' in 1890 and featured symbolist texts, notably by Jean Moréas, Ernest Raynaud, Jules Renard, Louis Dumur. Gradually gaining recognition, this review published both the greatest Parnassian poets (Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Verlaine, Mallarmé, Heredia, etc.) and witnessed the emergence of Jarry's Pataphysics.
The publishing house emerged in its wake. It notably published the first works of Gide and Claudel, Colette, Apollinaire, Georges Duhamel?