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Title-page: COLETTE | L'INGÉNUE | LIBERTINE | ILLUSTRÉ DE VINGT POINTES SÈCHES ORIGINALES EN COULEURS | DE P.-E. BÉCAT | GEORGES GUILLOT, ÉDITEUR | 7, RUE PERRONET | PARIS (VIIe) || French flapped wrapper in a blue double slipcase with dark blue and gilt lettering to spine, 29.5 x 24 x 8 cm, in-folio, leaves 28.5 x 22.5 cm, unbound, with 20 coloured drypoint engravings, with tissue-guards, with 77 initials and tailpieces by Marie Monnier. Limited edition of 420 copies, of which this is copy № XXVII, one of 45 copies marked with Roman numbers and reserved for the artist and collaborators. Printed on November 1st, 1947. Pagination: [16] 1-215 [216] [6], 238 pages (119 leaves) total, incl. plates. Moderate foxing. Contributors: Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette [a.k.a. Colette] (French, 1873 – 1954) Paul-Émile Bécat (French, 1885 – 1960) Marie Monnier (French, 1894 – 1976) Solange et Georges Guillot – publishers. Georges Girard – printer, typography. Manuel Robbe – printer, drypoint engravings. -
Front wrapper and title-page (in red and black): LE COFFRET DU BIBLIOPHILE ILLUSTRE | Pamphlets et Tableaux de mœurs intimes | CORRESPONDANCE | DE | Madame Gourdan | dite La Comtesse | INTRODUCTION ET NOTES PAR J. HERVEZ. | POINTES SÈCHES DE | P.-E. BECAT | {device} | PARIS | BIBLIOTHÈQUE DES CURIEUX | 4, rue de Furstenberg, 4 | Édition réservée aux souscripteurs || Limitation: L'édition illustrée du "Coffret | du bibliophile" est tirée à 750 | exemplaires, sur vergé de Rives, | – numérotés de 1 à 750 – | № 353 || Limited edition of 750 copies on Rives laid paper, of which this is copy № 353. Collation: fep, 3 blanks, front wrapper, 3 blanks vergé, [2] h.t. / limit., [2] t.p., [5] 6-188, blank, back wrapper, 3 blanks, fep., plus 12 plates, dry-points by P.-É. Bécat, extraneous to collation, incl. frontispiece. Binding: 16 x 10.3 cm, red crushed morocco, gilt lettering to spine, marbled endpapers, printed on laid paper, original wrappers preserved. Contributors: Marguerite Gourdan [Marguerite Alexandrine Ernestine Stock] (French, c. 1730 –1783) – fictional author. Jean Hervez (French, 1864 – ?) – author (preface). Charles Théveneau de Morande (French, 1741 – 1805) – presumable author of the text. Paul-Émile Bécat (French, 1885 – 1960) – artist. Bibliothèque des curieux [Georges & Robert Briffaut], Georges Briffaut (French, 1886 – 1973) – publisher. Previous editions: First published 1783, under the title: "Le portefeuille de Madame Gourdan" in London by Jean Nourse. Bibliothèque des curieux, 1910. Bibliothèque des curieux, 1924. -
NEWSoftcover, 228 x 155 mm, embossed geometrical diaper pink French flapped wrappers with black and orange lettering to front; collated 8vo: 1-108, i.e. 80 leaves, pp.: [4] [1-4] 5-152 [4], plus 12 colour plates; woodcut t.p. vignette, head- and tailpieces in sanguine. Text printed on wove paper watermarked Marais, untrimmed, some leaves uncut; colour illustrations produced by half-tone relief photo reproduction technique and printed on thinner paper without a watermark. Colouring is most probably made by hand. Besides the presence of the platemarks, micro-photo reveals clear signs of the half-tone relief photomechanical reproduction method:
Title-page (red and black): SPADDY | COLETTE | OU | LES AMUSEMENTS DE BON TON | ROMAN | {vignette} | A SAINT – CLOUD | AU TEMPLE DE CYTHÈRE ||
Limitation: CE ROMAN, EDITÉ POUR DES AMATEURS ET | NON MIS DANS LE COMMERCE, A ETÉ TIRÉ | A 250 EXEMPLAIRES, SUR VELIN PUR FIL | DU MARAIS, NUMÉROTÉS A LA PRESSE. | Cet exemplaire porte le No 49
Catalogue Raisonné: Dutel III № 1254: second edition with reproduction plates, published in 1939. The 1st edition with the original plates after Bécat was published in c. 1938.
Honesterotica.com:
Colette, ou les amusements de bon ton (Colette, Good Time Amusements) was an important early commission from Bécat by the master clandestine publisher Maurice Duflou, to complement a text bordering on the outrageous by Johannès Gros…
Contributors: Spaddy [Johannès Gros] (French, 18.. – 1937) – author Maurice Duflou (French, 1885 – 1947) – publisher Paul-Émile Bécat (French, 1885 – 1960) – artist
