Les Portes de la Perception

First edition of the French translation, not issued on deluxe paper, one of the review copies.
Minute foxing to the spine and center of upper cover, not affecting the overall appearance.
A pleasing copy.
Rare signed presentation inscription by Aldous Huxley to [Paul Hartman] : "Au directeur du Mercure de France, hommage de l'auteur, Aldous Huxley 1954."

"After the war, Georges Duhamel, still the principal shareholder of the publishing house, appointed Paul Hartman as director of the Mercure—a highly symbolic appointment, as Hartman was among the few publishers who had joined the Resistance, notably by publishing and distributing clandestine texts, including those of Charles de Gaulle. He was also a man of remarkable expertise, honed through his work in fine art and photographic publishing. Hartman made production quality and graphic presentation—choice of paper, layout—a hallmark of the house. Under his leadership, Mercure experienced a revival, enhancing its back catalogue while remaining ever alert to emerging literary talent. It was during these years that the house published works by Henri Michaux, Pierre Reverdy, Pierre-Jean Jouve, Louis-René des Forêts, and Yves Bonnefoy. The same period also saw the immediate success of Paul Léautaud’s Journal littéraire, whose first volume appeared in 1954." (mercuredefrance.fr)