L'Etranger

First edition, one of the rare press copies. No deluxe limited issue printed.

Full yellow box calf binding, smooth spine lettered in palladium, boards tooled in blind, upper board with inlays of grey box calf, yellow box calf pastedowns, beige suede endpapers, original wrappers and spine preserved, no gilt edges like every binding by Jean-Luc Honegger, half yellow box calf custom slipcase, smooth spine lettered in palladium, yellow lustrine cloth boards, beige suede lining, very fine set signed Jean-Luc Honegger (2023).

4400 copies of this first edition of The Stranger were printed on April 21, 1942: 400 press copies, 500 copies without a statement of edition and 3500 copies with false statements of second through eighth "editions".
The press copies, not intended for sale, do not bear the price indication [25 francs] on the back cover.
Paper was scarce in 1942, and as Albert Camus was an unknown author at the time, Gallimard did not print a limited issue on luxury paper (or large paper) as was often the case. For this reason, press copies or copies without a statement of edition are particularly sought-after.

A precious and rare copy, perfectly bound by the fine bookbinder Jean-Luc Honegger.