First editions, fine papers and deluxe printings of French and foreign literature, 16th to 21st century

First edition, one of 70 numbered copies on alfa paper.
A very good copy.

First edition, one of 925 copies numbered on Artois wove paper, the only issue including 1 copy on butcher’s paper in honour of General de Gaulle, 20 hors commerce copies and 75 on Marais paper.

Illustrated with headpieces and tailpieces.
Spine and boards slightly sunned, as often.

First edition, one of the numbered copies on wove paper from the Papeteries de Savoie.
Illustrated with original artwork by Pierre-Marie Renet, also known as Frédéric Monnier.
Spine and boards marginally sunned, as often.

First edition, one of 100 numbered advance (service de presse) copies on alfa du Marais paper.
Half brown morocco Bradel binding over marbled paper boards by P. Goy & C. Vilaine, gilt date to foot of spine, yellow paper endpapers and pastedowns , advertising band preserved and mounted on guards.
Light dampstain to foot of covers, a trace of folding to upper cover, foxing to covers and the first few leaves.
A nicely bound copy.

A rare and poetic autograph inscription from Aimé Césaire to the Pataphysician Maurice Saillet.

First edition of this magazine led by Ivan Goll, uniting French surrealists then in exile in the United States with their American peers.
Several contributions including those from Saint-John Perse, Roger Caillois, William Carlos Williams, Alain Bosquet, Ivan Goll, André Breton, Aimé Césaire, André Masson, Henry Miller, Kurt Seligmann, Denis de Rougemont, Julien Gracq, Eugène Guillevic, Robert Lebel...
Illustrations by George Barker, André Masson, Wifredo Lam, Yves Tanguy.
Pleasant and rare collection despite a small piece missing at the foot of the spine on the double issue 2 & 3.
Complete collection in 6 issues and 5 deliveries (numbers 2 & 3 being double) of this important magazine that offers a panorama of the Surrealist movement in exile and provides an insight into the influence of the contributors on the New York art scene.

First edition of the French translation by Marie Canavaggia, one of 26 numbered copies on pur-fil paper, only deluxe copies ("tirage de tête").
Nice copy.

First edition, one of 30 numbered copies on Auvergne, deluxe copies ("tirage de tête").
Beautiful copy despite very slight tears affecting mostly the endpapers.

First edition, one of 20 numbered copies on vélin de cuve paper reserved for the “XX” bibliophile group, the tirage de tête.
A good copy complete with its double covers by Albin Michel and the “XX” bibliophile group.
Joints of chemise rubbed, modern slipcase, tiny insignificant worming to endpapers.

Signed by the author on justification page.

First edition printed in 51 copies numbered and initialled by the author on Whatman.
Playful and striking signed presentation inscription from Jean Ajalbert to Henry Fèvre: "... ex-écrevisse de rempart, ces vers de l'auteur des bastions..."
Illustrated with an original lithograph by Paul Signac as frontispiece.
Minor spots on the lower cover, a rare and handsome copy.

First edition, one of 47 numbered copies on Vergé de Vizille, the only deluxe paper issue.
A fine copy.

First edition of the French translation, one of 51 numbered copies on pure wove paper, the only copies printed on deluxe paper.
Spine and boards slightly and marginally sunned, as often.
Rare and handsome copy of this work, splendidly adapted for the screen in 1967 by Richard Brooks, with Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, John Forsythe, and John MacLiam in the leading roles.
Richard Brooks even went so far as to film in the actual house where the crime took place, as well as in the same courthouse, where 7 of the 12 jurors played their own roles.

First edition, one of 20 numbered copies on Hollande, the only large paper copies.
Elegant red morocco binding by Semet & Plumelle, spine in five compartments, date at foot, gilt roulettes to head- and tail-pieces, red moiré silk pastedowns, marbled endpapers thereafter, gilt fillets to edges of covers, covers and spine (slightly soiled) preserved, top edge gilt; slipcase edged in the same morocco, the boards of the same marbled paper, lined with light brown felt.
This copy is enriched with two autograph notes from the author.
A very good, well-margined copy, superbly bound in an outstanding lined binding by Semet & Plumelle. 

First public edition of this text by Jean Guéhenno, written under the pseudonym Cévennes, one of 60 numbered copies on Madagascar paper, from the deluxe issue.

A fine copy.

Deluxe first edition on Oikos paper, limited to 200 copies, this copy being one of 5 presentation copies signed by the publisher and enriched with unpublished documents relating to the discovery of the manuscript.

Swiss binding with exposed stitching, smooth cloth spine, illustrated boards and slipcase.

Original French translation of the last manuscript recovered from a deportee assigned to the Sonderkommandos.

Marcel Nadjary (1917-1971), a Greek Jew from Thessaloniki, deported to Auschwitz in the spring of 1944, was assigned to the Sonderkommando. He wrote a letter to dear friends to bid them farewell and describe the horrific work he was forced to carry out. He then buried his clandestine manuscript in the soil of Birkenau. This document was recovered thirty-six years later, on October 24, 1980.

This testimony, written at "the epicenter of the catastrophe," is published here for the first time in French translation, together with a second manuscript that Marcel Nadjary wrote in 1947 to preserve a record of his experience at the heart of the Birkenau inferno.

Texts by Serge Klarsfeld, Nelly Nadjary, Alberto Nadjary, Fragiski Ampatzopoulou, Georges Didi-Huberman, Tal Bruttmann, Loïc Marcou, and Andreas Kilian accompany and illuminate these two exceptional documents.

Translated from Greek by Loïc Marcou

First edition, one of 50 numbered copies on Marais Crèvecoeur paper, issued as part of the publisher’s deluxe limitation.

Spine and boards faintly sunned and toned as usual, with a small spot to the lower outer corner of the front board.

As stated in the limitation, this copy includes its original etching by Jacques Villon, signed in the plate.

First edition, illustrated with an original etching as frontispiece and four hors-texte drawings by Henri Laurens, one of 324 numbered copies on Vélin du Marais.

Title page lightly toned, otherwise a pleasing copy.

Signed in pencil by Tristan Tzara and Henri Laurens beneath the limitation statement.

First edition of the French translation, one of 26 lettered copies on Lana wove rag paper, issued as part of the tête-de-tirage.

A fine copy.

First edition of the author's third book, with no copies printed on deluxe paper, here a review copy.

Spine very lightly sunned, without seriousness, faint spotting to the board edges.

Rare and desirable presentation copy signed by Patrick Modiano to the woman of letters Christiane Baroche: "Pour Christiane ces boulevards de ceinture avec lesquels elle est bien indulgente. Avec l'amitié de Patrick."

Collective edition, partly original, issued without any deluxe copies.

A pleasing copy.

Author's signed presentation inscription from Elias Canetti to his cousin: "Meiner liebsten Kusine Matica, der einziger, die geblieben ist, was  sie immer war, begabt, klug, offen in Liebe und Freundschaft. Elias Canetti. Paris, September 1962" ("A ma chère cousine, la seule qui est reste ce qu'elle a toujours été, douée, intelligente, ouverte, en amour et en amitié)."

First edition printed on alfa wove paper.

A fine copy.

Inscribed and signed by Jacques Perret to Charles Linder, the presentation augmented with a small drawing depicting a ballot box topped with a tricolour flag.

First edition, one of the review copies.

A pleasing copy.

Signed presentation inscription from Paul Valéry to Germaine Fiévé : "... petit souvenir d'une collaboration sans mauvaises pensées et autres..."

First edition of the French translation, one of 80 numbered copies on alfa paper issued in a special "du monde entier" wrapper, the only deluxe copies together with 35 on pur fil.

A handsome copy.

First edition, with no copies printed on deluxe paper, one of the publisher’s review copies.

Pleasing copy, complete with its publisher’s printed slip.

Autograph presentation inscription signed by Paul Valéry to Germaine Fiévé: "... petit souvenir d'une collaboration sans mauvaises pensées et autres..."

First edition.

A pleasing copy.

Inscribed by Anaïs Nin to her friend, the writer Christiane Baroche: "Vos paroles Christiane Baroche : 'je veux cueillir le feu comme un dernier amant' amitié et concordances. Anaïs Nin."

First edition, exceedingly scarce, of this light-hearted and engaging introduction to the principal ancient myths, prepared for a Polish aristocrat. Annopol (today Anopal) is a locality now situated in Belarus.

No copies recorded in the CCF. A single copy located in WorldCat (National Library of Poland, Biblioteka Narodowa, Warsaw).

Contemporary-style half sheep binding in brown, the smooth spine ruled with alternating thick and thin gilt fillets, marbled paper boards, comb-marbled endpapers and pastedowns; modern binding.

Losses to the title-page expertly filled and restored; the final two leaves also restored.

First edition, one of 35 numbered copies on Rivoli vellum, the only deluxe-paper issue.

A particularly handsome copy

First edition, one of 24 numbered copies on Vélin Rivoli, the only deluxe issue.

A particularly handsome copy.

First edition, one of 36 copies on pure-wire vellum, the only copies printed on deluxe paper.

A particularly attractive copy.

First edition of the French translation, for which no deluxe paper copies were issued.

A handsome copy, complete with its photographic dust jacket showing a tiny tear at the head of the spine, with illustrations.

Inscribed and signed by Julio Cortázar to the writer Christiane Baroche: "Pour toi, Chirstiane, avec toute mon amitié. Julio."

Very rare first edition (125 copies printed according to Quérard) of this remarkable exposition of Talma’s dramaturgical principles, still regarded as a “revolutionary” actor despite his immense success (his friendship with Napoleon never wavered); the text was inserted the same year, 1825, at the beginning of the new edition of the Memoirs of Henri-Louis Caïn, known as Lekain (1729–1778), who was still considered in the early nineteenth century as one of the greatest tragedians of the eighteenth century.

See Quérard IX, 333.

Scattered foxing.

Full cherry-red long-grain morocco, smooth spine tooled with gilt fillets, garlands and fleurons, gilt rolls at head and tail, gilt fillet, garland and dotted border together with blind-stamped palmettes on the boards, small black speckling on the front board, blue endpapers and pastedowns, gilt lace border on the pastedowns, gilt fillets on the board edges, all edges gilt, contemporary binding.

A handsomely produced copy in a period Romantic full-morocco binding.

First edition.

With press clippings laid in.

Half bronze sheep binding, spine with four raised bands framed with gilt pointillé and decorated with double gilt fillets, red sheep lettering-piece, a few small black spots and a light scratch to the spine, marbled paper boards, cat’s-eye patterned endpapers and pastedowns, contemporary binding.

A pleasing copy.

First edition on standard paper.

A handsome copy, complete with its publisher’s wraparound band.

Fine presentation inscription signed by Milan Kundera: "Paris 1998. Pour Michel Tournier avec l'amitié fidèle de Milan Kundera."

First edition, with no deluxe paper issue, one of the review copies.

A pleasing copy.

Inscribed, dated and signed by Annie Ernaux to her friend, the writer Christiane Baroche.

First edition of this almanac of the Neue Dichtung published by Kurt Wolff, featuring the first book-form appearance of Kafka’s short story "Vor dem Gesetz" (pp. 126-128). Covers sunned, tear to spine not lacking paper, chipping to spine-ends, and corners rubbed.

First edition of the short story "Vor dem Gesetz" (Before the Law), later published verbatim in Kafka’s masterpiece "Der Proceß" (The Trial). 

First edition, issued without any deluxe paper copies.

Occasional marginal tears to upper part of front cover, small lacks of paper to spine-ends, lack of paper to the lower left corner of the lower cover, and a small snag to lower part of lower cover.

Exceptional presentation copy from one woman writer to another, addressed by Georges de Peyrebrune to Jane Catulle Mendès: "pour mon exquise confrère / pour ma charmante amie / Madame Catulle Mendès / En souvenir / Peyrebrune".

First editions by Peyrebrune and even more so her inscribed copies are decidedly scarce: "it is still very difficult to find Peyrebrune's books nowadays" (Sophie Ménard).

First edition on ordinary paper.

Pages 10–11 lightly sunned owing to the presence of a newspaper clipping.

Fine presentation inscription signed by André Pieyre de Mandiargues: "à  Michel Tournier en très cordiale sympathie. André PM."

First edition, one of 1050 numbered copies on alfa paper.
Two very slight sunning without gravity to head of boards, handsome copy.
Paperboard binding after Mario Prassinos' original design.

First edition of the French translation.

Our copy is issued in its original state, preserved in a blue paper temporary wrapper and housed within a double chemise and slipcase in navy half-shagreen, smooth spine, marbled-paper boards; a modern binding signed by Devauchelle.

A rare and appealing copy.

Recorded in the CCF only at the BnF.

Sole edition of this theatrical jeu d’esprit, which bears little relation to China despite the purported setting of the action: "La scène se passe à Pé-King, l’an du monde 100, 857, et de Con-Fou-Tsée 6550". In reality, it is a play about the destructive nature of gambling, for which there was no real need to summon China as a pretext; moreover, the characters speak and behave like perfectly typical French petits bourgeois."

First edition of the French translation, one of 25 numbered copies on pur fil, the only copies printed on deluxe paper.

Blood red morocco binding, gilt title lenghtwise, gold stingray boards framed in morocco, gilt decorative paper endleaves, original wrappers preserved, top edge gilt, an elegant binding signed Boichot. Front free endpaper slightly toned, otherwise a handsome untrimmed copy.

Illustrated with original woodcuts by Jean-Gabriel Daragnès.

First edition on ordinary paper.

A pleasing copy, with only a few insignificant spots at the foot of the spine.

Warm presentation copy signed by Jean Echenoz to his friend, the writer, screenwriter, and filmmaker Jérôme Beaujour, also a specialist in Marguerite Duras’s cinema: "Pour mon cher Jérôme avec ma vive affection, Jean. 2.VI.10"