Books for Trade: GAUTIER, Théophile. – Lettres à la Présidente et galanteries poétiques.Neuilly [Paris]: éditions du Musée secret [?Maurice Duflou], 1927.

This Book

And an extraordinarily beautiful book it is too. Purchased as an investment piece. I must admit that I am not a particular fan of the artist Viset,  (Luc Lafnet), even though I have had many books illustrated my him, his Viset identity is usually reserved for his explicit work, Jim Black,  mainly for his flagellation material. If I have to choose, then the Viset material, to me is comically obscene, and Jim Black, just weird but not really weird enough.

As for clandestine publishing, and its mysteries, then the combination of Perceau, Briffaut and Duflou, singularly or in any combination, have produced some of the finest of books and this one is no exception, I leave the decision making to the experts  and my favourite expert is Patrick Kearney and the bibliographical description is his.


Note: The images are in book form and taken in a way that does not stress or damage the book, as a result they are not flattened images, and may have shadows caused by the curvature of the page when the image is taken, I adjust exposure to give the clearest picture for presentation on this  site, the images in the book are clearer and sharper than the images presented here, they are after all  engraved plates and not photographs.


Title Page

This Book: GAUTIER, Théophile. – Lettres à la Présidente et galanteries poétiques. édition contenant soixante-cinq lettres inédites et le texte exact de la lettre d’Italie. Publiée avec une introduction et des notes par Helpey [Louis Perceau]. Accompagnée d’une étude sur la Présidente par Sylvestre Bonnard [Pierre Dufay]. Neuilly [Paris]: éditions du Musée secret [?Maurice Duflou],
1927.

Beautifully bound in quarter black leather, with 5 raised bands, author and title in gilt on spine, on blue and grey marbled boards, with matching inner lining. Three sets of additional fep’s,  Original covers and spine preserved. Photographic frontispiece of the author, title page printed in red and black matches the cover exactly, 199 numbered pages, printed on Japon Imperial.   Letter “I” of 15 copies lettered A-0. (dimensions in binding (23.5 x16 cm) (Weight 1kg)), photographic image on page 101. The 11  engraved plates signed “Viset”, with artists embellishments are all in the latter part of the book after page 121. The list of contents are as detailed in the image below. A fine collection quality copy.


Table of contents


Bibliographical description courtesy of Patrick Kearney

GAUTIER, Théophile. – Lettres à la Présidente et galanteries poétiques. édition contenant soixante-cinq lettres inédites et le texte exact de la lettre d’Italie. Publiée avec une introduction et des notes par Helpey [Louis Perceau]. Accompagnée d’une étude sur la Présidente par Sylvestre Bonnard [Pierre Dufay]. Neuilly [Paris]: éditions du Musée secret [?Maurice Duflou],
1927. 8vo. 199 pp., pl. et portrait. photographiques deThéophile Gautier et de Mme Sabatier, pl. gr. à l’eauforte signées Viset [Luc Lafnet]. Limited to 465 lettered and numbered copies. [Bibliothèque Nationale (3 copies).

Scissors and Paste. Perceau List item 23


Binding


Original Cover


Limitation


Frontis


Sample Text


Mme Sabatier

 


Letttres a la Presidente


The Illustrations by Viset


Viset 1


Viset 2


Viset 3


Viset 4


Viset 5


Viset 6


Viset 7


Viset 8


Viset 9


Viset 10



Viset 11


Preserved spine



 

Books for Trade:  Les Gaietés de Béranger;  A Éleuthéropolis , A l’Enseigne de Cupidon (Briffaut) n.d.[c. 1920]

 

Introducing the first in a new series of books illustrated by Martin Van Maele. I shall in time link to existing material by this artist already on this blog, much of which , are from titles published by Charles Carrington, another collection focus for me in months to come. This title however is not from Carrington, but is a clandestine publication, from one of Briffaut’s , many under cover imprints.


Les Gaietés de Béranger;  A Éleuthéropolis , A l’Enseigne de Cupidon, n.d   [c1920]. 8vo. (23 x14 cm), 102 pp (inc, 2 pages Table of contents). Frontispiece + 11 unsigned engravings done in black. Clandestine title but Briffaut. True first with no reference to the artist ( A later edition credits “Van Triozem”, Martin Van Maele’s preferred alter ego for more explicit works), this copy, with uncut pages, and loose illustrations, which are indexed by pencilled description of location in text as well as page number. Very good copy, possibly unique edition.


 

Cover



Frontis

 

 

 

 

 






See Also

Books for Trade: Anon (Gustav Droz), Un été à la Campagne, A Mitylene n.p (Paris) n.d (1920) (Briffaut). Illustrations by Van Troizem ( Van Maele )

Books for Trade: Les Jeux du Plaisir et de la Volupté par une Femme du Monde, avec 16 illustrations.ANONYME [Johannes GROS] Published by Paris, Au boudoir secret.1906 [i.e. circa 1936]

Les Jeux du Plaisir et de la Volupté par une Femme du Monde, avec 16 illustrations.ANONYME [Johannes GROS]
Published by Paris, Au boudoir secret, (Briffaut) (1906).1906 [i.e. circa 1936] 1 volume in-8 (19.5 x 13 cm), paperback, 248- (1) pages. 16 illustrations in black inset. Printed cover in color. Volume in very good condition. Reference: Dutel, Bibliography of erotic works published clandestinely between 1920 and 1970, n ° 1795, indicates: “Original edition published around 1936. It is decorated with 16 illustrations.The book comes out of Darantière presses in Dijon, as does  the sequel , “Confessions Libertines ” The advertised print is 600 copies on tinted vergé and 25 copies on vellum Arches. This one, 1 of 600 copies on tinted laid. Very good copy of this book sympathetically illustrated (The illustrations have remained anonymous but are in the style of Luc Lafnet). Very explicit pornographic text.


Title Page


Spine


Illustrations



















See also

Books for Trade: COMTESSE DE J… [Johannes GROS] – T. Mertens CONFESSIONS LIBERTINES. Orné de huit eaux-fortes de T. Mertens. Partout et nulle part [Imprimerie Darantière, Dijon, 1931]