Signed books and autograph signatures from great writers, poets, philosophers from 16th to 21st century

First collected edition of Paul Celan’s German translation of the poems of Ossip Mandelstam, whom he deeply admired.

Publisher’s original full white cloth, smooth spine, a copy complete with its dust jacket, which shows a few small tears at the head of the spine.

Valuable dated and signed autograph inscription from Paul Celan to his friend, the poet and translator of his works Lydia Kerr: "Für Lydia Kerr, herzlich, 12.2.1963. Paul Celan."

First edition entirely hand-painted by Jacques Capdeville and printed in 30 numbered copies on vellum, with a small number of hors-commerce copies also issued.

Rare and fine copy, complete with its full flexible paperboard slipcase and with the musical setting of the poem by John Supko, on tracing paper.

Handwritten signatures of Philippe Denis and Jacques Capdeville in the colophon.

First edition, printed in small numbers, of this offprint from the “Journal de la Société des Américanistes”. No deluxe issue printed. Skilful restauration to cover.

Rare presentation copy signed by Claude Lévi-Strauss to Simone de Beauvoir: “Cet humble aspect de la malédiction féminine, en amical hommage de Claude Lévi-Strauss” (“this humble aspect of the feminine curse, in friendly homage”) on the upper cover. This fieldwork study of the Nambikwara from Lévi-Strauss’ 1938 ethnographic expedition directly influenced Beauvoir, who...

New compilation of the celebrated songs by the troubadour from Sète, including "La mauvaise réputation", "Le parapluie", "Le petit cheval", "Le fossoyeur", "Le gorille", "Corne d'auroch", "La chasse aux papillons" and "Hécatombe".
Inevitable creasing and light rubbing along the margins of the record sleeve.

A small ballpoint pen doodle in blue ink on the lower cover.
Autograph signature of Georges Brassens in the lower right margin of the upper cover.

New edition.

A handsome copy.

Fine inscribed copy, signed by Anaïs Nin to the writer Christiane Baroche: "Christiane Baroche my last novel before I began to edit the diaries and be drowned in them. Perharps because I had arrived at humor and could bear to make the journey backwards. Anaïs Nin."

First edition printed on regular stock.

Small tears to the head and foot of the spine.

Fine presentation inscription, signed by Henri de Montherlant to Georges Bataille.

First edition, one of 50 numbered copies on Holland paper, being the only large paper issue.

Bradel binding with decorative paper featuring red and gold motifs, flat spine, small restorations to spine-ends and joints, brown shagreen title label with a corner skilfully restored, endpapers and pastedowns of blue paper with gilt motifs, soiled soiled covers and spine preserved, gilt top edge on deckle, contemporary binding.

Exceptional and precious presentation copy signed by Claude Farrère: "Pour Max-Anély que j'admire et pour mon ami Segalen. Claude Farrère." [For Max-Anély I admire and for my friend Segalen. Claude Farrère]

Later edition (the first was published three years earlier in 1906).

Bradel binding with marbled paper boards, smooth spine with some parts lacking paper, brown morocco lettering piece with some loss to margis, one joint split, handmade paper endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers and spine preserved, contemporary binding.

Exceptional copy signed and inscribed on a mounted stub by Auguste Gilbert de Voisins to his celebrated writer friend and traveling companion on Chinese roads and rivers: "to Victor Segalen in thanks for speaking to me of the Orient. AGilbert de Voisins." 

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, one of 45 numbered copies printed on Rajasthan jute paper, the only deluxe issue.

Manuscript signature of Emil Cioran at the colophon.

Spine very slightly faded, of no significance.

Rare and fine copy, complete with the three tantric paintings reproduced hors-texte in colour on cream paper.

First edition, limited to 59 numbered copies on Arches vellum, signed in pink pencil by André Masson beneath the limitation statement.
Rare and fine copy.
Illustrated with two original etchings by André Masson, printed full-bleed and issued hors texte.

First edition, one of 85 numbered copies on pure wove paper, the only issue following 15 copies on Montval vellum.

A few insignificant spots.

Work illustrated with four original engravings by Suzanne Roger, including a coloured frontispiece.

Manuscript signatures of Tristan Tzara, Suzanne Roger, and Jean Aubier beneath the limitation leaf.

First edition, one of 100 copies printed on antique Montval wove paper, the only issue following 1 copy on old Japan paper, 10 on imperial Japan, and 20 hors commerce.

Work illustrated with 9 original drypoints by Jean Lurçat.

A rare and handsome copy.

Inscribed and signed by Jean Lurçat to Jean Bourgoin.

First edition printed in 125 numbered copies on B.F.K. de Rives paper, ours being one of the 25 containing the two black etchings by Robert Lagarde, the colour suite, and the additional plate, a deluxe issue.

A few spots to the covers, internally clean and pleasing; copy complete with its publisher’s prospectus.

Each etching and additional plate is signed and justified by Robert Lagarde.

First edition, one of 200 numbered copies on “light green paper,” the only deluxe paper issue announced.

Turquoise half morocco binding, smooth spine, date in gilt at foot, marbled paper boards, endpapers, and pastedowns, original wrappers and spine preserved, top edge gilt; an elegant contemporary binding signed by G. Gauché.

A very handsome copy, finely bound by Georges Gauché and complete with its publisher's prospectus. 

Signed presentation inscription by René Crevel: "My dear Georges, here, in its finest form: Diderot’s Harpsichord, if you can help him play his music? With all my affection. René" (our own...

Edition partly original, one of 90 numbered copies on hollande paper, the only issue following 10 on japon, 2 on Chapelle and 2 hors-commerce copies. Volume illustrated with 8 woodcuts by Manolo, four of which are full-page.

Manuscript signatures of Manolo and Pierre Reverdy on the colophon.

A...

First edition, one of 70 numbered copies on Arches wove paper.

Our copy is enriched with the autograph signatures of Jacques Prévert — who signed as Jacques Rêve-vert (with the word “vert” highlighted in green) — and of André Pozner, each accompanied by two small drawings: a little cat for Jacques Prévert and a camel’s hump for André Pozner.

A fine copy, complete with its slipcase.

First edition of the French translation, with false statement of second edition.

Full green cloth Bradel binding, flat spine decorated with a central gilt ornament, beige sheepskin title label, original wrappers preserved, contemporary binding signed in blind by Pierson. Some light foxing. 

Very rare presentation copy dated and signed by Ivan Turgenev to Anatole France: "Monsieur Anatole France / hommage de l'auteur / 1876".

First edition, one of the press copies.

Anthracite half-morocco binding, spine with five raised bands, title and author lettered in palladium, boards in grey and black patterned paper, grey paper endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers bound in, traces of adhesive on the verso of the front wrapper, two small restorations to the inner margin of the rear wrapper, top edge in palladium, binding signed by Boichot.

Presentation copy, inscribed and signed by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry to Antoinette de Bergevin under her pen name: "Pour madame Colette Yver en hommage respectueux Antoine de Saint-Exupéry."

"Although the name of the French writer Colette...

First edition, with no deluxe copies printed.
Pleasant copy, which is uncommon given the fragility of this book, often handled without care.
Inscribed and signed by Serge Gainsbourg to a recipient named Georges.
 

First edition on ordinary paper.

A fold mark at the foot of the lower cover, otherwise a well-preserved copy.

With a fine signed autograph inscription by Tristan Bernard: "A Charles Cuvillier cette oeuvre capitale qui absorba quinze ans de ma vie. Bien affectueusement Tristan Bernard."

First edition, with no copies printed on deluxe paper.

A pleasant copy.

On the half-title page, autograph inscription signed by Jean-Claude Carrière to the writer, essayist, and pianist Catherine David: "... qui m'ouvrît avec grâce la lourde porte du temps, je m'incline sur son passage avec amitié."

On the front endpaper, autograph inscription signed by Umberto Eco to the same recipient.

Collected edition commissioned by Louis XV following the success of Catilina, containing Crébillon's 9 tragedies and his academic discourses, without Le Triumvirat, which appears only in certain copies. This is the first collected edition of the dramatist's works, published under the author's supervision.

Two volumes bound as one in marbled calf, spine with five raised bands richly decorated with small gilt floral tools, triple gilt fillet border on boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt inner dentelle, red edges. Discreet restorations to the joints, corners, and top spine-end, with some loss to the gilt tooling at...

First edition, one of the press copies.

Full emerald-green morocco, flat spine with a gilt rule lengthwise, title and author gilt-stamped, frontdecorated with multiple gilt rules framing a central onlaid panel of blue shagreen, light green suede endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers preserved, top edge gilt, binding signed Boichot.

Exceptional and highly desirable presentation copy inscribed and signed by Louis-Ferdinand Céline: "A mons. Pierre Jean Jouve cordial hommage Louis Celine."

First edition of Pierre Drieu la Rochelle's first book, one of 150 numbered copies on Hollande laid paper, the only deluxe copies.
Precious autograph inscription signed by Pierre Drieu la Rochelle : « to Charles Maurras this anxious testimony. Pierre Drieu la Rochelle ex. sergeant in the 146^th Infantry. October 1^st, 1917. »
Important testimony of the young Drieu la Rochelle's admiration – then in full intellectual development – for the « master of Martigues » to whom he sends this copy of his war poems composed in 1916 after being wounded at Verdun.
Demobilized and...

First edition on ordinary paper.

Autograph inscription signed, in pencil, by Sacha Guitry to madame Simone Gerbert.
 

First edition, one of the numbered copies on vellum, the only printing.
Publisher's binding executed after the original design by Paul Bonet.
Rich iconography.
Handsome copy complete with its illustrated dust jacket.
Precious autograph inscription signed by André Malraux: "Pour Georges Bataille André Malraux."

First edition printed in small numbers of this offprint from the Mercure de France published on May 15, 1920. OCLC does not locate any copies in North America and only three in Eu­rope (Bnf, Bibliothèque Doucet, Uni­versitätsbibliothek Basel).
Covers with frayed margins, second cover partially shaded, one small piece of paper missing from the right margin of a page due to the fragility of the paper.
Signed and inscribed copy to paint­er Bernard de Blois: “En sympathie de voisin de logis et d'esthétique. Canudo 1922.” [”In sympathy as a neighbor of lodgings and aesthetics. Canudo 1922.”]
Extremely rare first edition of the li­bretto of...

First edition, a Service de Presse (advance) copy.
Foreword by Raymond Queneau.
Light dampstains to spine, some staining to board margins.
Rare autograph inscription signed by Boris Vian to the actress Jacqueline Pierreux, mother of Jean-Pierre Léaud, and to her husband the novelist and screenwriter Pierre Léaud: "Pour monsieur Léaud et mame Pierreux avec une bise (pas pour lui). Boris Vian." (For Mr. Léaud and Mrs. Pierreux with a kiss (not for him). Boris Vian.)
In April 1948, Jacqueline Pierreux created the role of Judy in the theatrical adaptation of "J'irai cracher sur vos tombes" at the Verlaine theatre, directed by Alfred Pasquali.

First edition on ordinary paper, bearing the correct imprint dated 6 May 1959, with the false statement of second edition.
Spine very slightly sunned.
Signed and inscribed by Eugène Ionesco to the stage director, playwright, and writer Simone Benmussa on the half-title.

First edition on ordinary paper.
Handsome copy.
Autograph inscription signed by Patrick Modiano to the stage director, playwright and writer Simone Benmussa and her companion the actress Erika Kralik.
Literary advisor to the Compagnie Jean-Louis Barrault - Madeleine Renaud, then, in 1957, editor-in-chief of the Cahiers Renaud-Barrault, Simone Benmussa also directed, from the Odéon theatre, the cultural service and the Cahiers of the Renaud-Barrault company. She adapted for the theatre works by her friend Nathalie Sarraute, Pierre Klossowski, Jean Cocteau, Gertrude Stein... She was the companion of the actress Erika Kralik.