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Volume bound by Boichot (signed on front pastedown), 25.3 x 20.2 cm in a 25.9 x 20.3 slipcase, the book and the case uniformly in beige, brown, and blue diaper paper with a navy blue label with gilt lettering to book's spine, top edge gilt, J.-P. Dutel’s bookplate to fep, portfolio cover preserved. Pp.: [1-4] 5-37 [38 blank]; collated 4to, 13 2-54; total 19 leaves (38 pages), plus 12 plates coloured in stencil technique (pochoir), produced after watercolours by Gerda Wegener in c. 1917 on Arches or Whatman laid paper, watermarked. Each illustration bears a small masquerade mask at the bottom as a signature. Text printed on laid paper without a watermark; starting from 2nd gathering, the text printed on recto only; minor traces of water stain to some pages. Title-page (red and black): ALEXANDRE DE VÉRINEAU | Douze Sonnets lascifs | pour accompagner la suite d’aquarelles intitulée | Les Délassements d’Éros | {vignette medallion} | ÉROTOPOLIS | A L’ENSEIGNE DU FAUNE | 1925 || First edition, first printing (incl. plates); clandestine. Catalogue raisonné: Dutel 1356, 1434; Pia 363/4; Noedmann I 310; Fekete 221. Contributors: Louis Perceau (French, 1883 – 1942) – author (see LIB-2633.2021: Guillaume Apollinaire, Fernand Fleuret, Louis Perceau. L'enfer de la Bibliothèque Nationale. — Paris: Mercure de France, 1913). Gerda Wegener (Danish, 1886 – 1940) – artist. Maurice Duflou (French, 1885 – 1951) – publisher. Boichot – bookbinder. -
Description: Softcover volume 27 x 21.3 cm in publisher’s French flapped cream wrappers, with a vignette and lettered in red within a black frame to front "GAMIANI | OU DEUX NUITS D'EXCÈS". Printed on unmarked wove paper, outer and lower margins untrimmed. Illustrated with full-page frontispiece, 10 headpieces, and 5 smaller woodcuts (one repeated on the front wrapper and on t.p.) by Pierre Aubert after Jean-Gabriel Daragnès [pseud. Jean de Guethary], some with inlaid tissue guards. Copy enriched with one graphite pencil drawing signed "J. de Guethary", tipped in before h.t. Title-page (red and black): GAMIANI | OU DEUX NUITS D'EXCÈS | PAR A. DE M. | Avec | des vignettes | de | JEAN DE GUETHARY | {VIGNETTE} | — | CHEZ UN BOURGEOIS DE PARIS | Rue du Coq Hardi | 1845 || Pagination: [i-vi] (orig. drawing, h.t. / vignette, t.p./limit.) [vii] viii-xx, [1-3] 4-64 [4]; total 88 pages. Limitation: Edition limited to 110 copies. According to Dutel, 110 copies were printed on Japon ancient, 3 on Japon Impérial, and 3 on Whatman. This copy is № 115. Catalogue raisonné: Dutel (1920-1970): № 1630, p. 183; Pia (Enfer) 527, p. 286. Alfred de Musset (French, 1810 – 1857) – author. Jean-Gabriel Daragnès (French, 1886 – 1950) – artist, publisher. Pierre Aubert (Swiss, 1910 – 1987) – engraver. -
Description: Suite of 16 hand-coloured drypoints, in 39 x 29 cm, in cream French flapped wrappers with lavender lettering “SYMPHONIES AMOUREUSES” and a sanguine drypoint vignette (platemark 15 x 13 cm) to front, 17 leaves plus 2 leaves in the wrappers, 38.5 x 57 cm vertically folded once, lettering to one page, plate to another page, unbound, only the top margin trimmed, unpaginated, wove paper watermarked "BFK Rives", in a faux chagrin double slipcase 39.8 x 30 cm. Title-page (in lavender and black): SYMPHONIES AMOUREUSES | Suite de seize gravures | à la pointe sèche | rehaussées | {blank} | imprimé aux dépens | de Bibliophiles et non mis dans le commerce || Titles of the plates : 1. Ouverture. 2. Gamme. 3. Rêverie. 4. Pas redoublé. 5 Fantasia. 6. Pastorale. 7. Estudiantina. 8. Presto. 9. Arpège. 10. Menuet. 11 .Symphonie médiévale. 12. Jeux d’eau. 13. Galop. 14. Impromptu. 15. Variation. 16. Ariette. Limitation: Print run of 100 copies, 5 copies on Japon Manchou, numbered №№ 1-5, enriched; 11 copies on vélin à la forme de Rives, numbered №№ 6-16, enriched; 84 copies on vélin à la forme de Rives, numbered №№ 17-100, of which this is copy № 32. Cat. raisonné: Dutel III, № 2478. Contributors: André Collot (French, 1897 – 1976) – artist, engraver. -
A German translation of de Musset’s “Gamiani ou deux nuits d’excès” illustrated with a reprint title-page and 11 (instead of 16) hand-coloured photogravures after original lithographs by Devéria and Henri Grévedon or Octave Tassaert for 1833 edition, though from the re-drawn stones. Large volume, 40.5 x 31 cm, collated 4to, in black calf with lettering and elaborate gilt border to front and blind border to back, outer and bottom margins uncut, marbled endpapers, text and plates printed on wove paper. The reprint t.p. is different from the original one; in the 1833 edition, the line deux nuits d’excès is waving while here it is straight. Letterpress title-page: ALFRED DE MUSSET | GAMIANI | ODER | ZWEI NÄCHTE DER AUSSCHWEIFUNG || Reprint title-page: Gamiani | OU | DEUX NUITS D’EXCÈS. | {vignette} | Bruxelles | 1833 || Collation: π2 1-74 82, total 32 leaves plus reprint t.p. and 11 plates. Pagination: [4] [1] 2-59 [60], total 64 pages, ils. Limitation: Edition limited to 300 numbered copies, of which this is copy № 32. Contributors: Alfred de Musset (French, 1810 – 1857) – author. Karl Spieler (German, 19th/20th century) – author of the foreword and translator. Achille Devéria (French, 1800 – 1857) – artist (attributed). Pierre Louis Henri Grévedon (French, 1776 – 1860) – artist (attributed). Octave Tassaert (French, 1800 – 1874) – artist (attributed). Catalogue raisonné: Dutel (1650-1880) № A-460, p. 149; Eros invaincu № 68, p. 171-3. -
Two volumes in owner’s uniform so called Jansenist binding by someone Alix (signed in gilt inside), gilt lettering to spine, each in a slipcase. Vol. 1: full crimson morocco 32.5 x 26 x 6.5 cm in a 33.3 x 27 x 7 cm slipcase, cloth endpapers, all edges gilt, publisher’s wrappers preserved, autographed drawing by Vertès to h.t. “à monsieur Willard | bien sympathiquement | Vertès | Paris 1930”. Collation: 3 blanks, front wrapper, 2 blanks, [10] h.t./limit., t.p., art., dedic., person., [2] 3-487 [488 blank], [2] coloph., 3 blanks, spine, 3 blanks; 74 dry-point illustrations by Marcel Vertès within collation; printed on thick wove paper by ‘Arches’ watermarked “Pausole & Vertès”. Title-page (red and black): LES AVENTURES | DU | ROI PAUSOLE | de | PIERRE LOUŸS | {vignette} | AUX DÉPENS D'UN AMATEUR | PARIS, MCMXXX || Limitation: CETTE ÉDITION DU ROMAN | DE |PIERRE LOUŸS | LES AVENTURES DU ROI PAUSOLE | A ÉTE COMPOSE EN CARACTÈRE GARAMOND DU CORPS 18 | ET IMPRIMEE SUR VÉLIN A LA FORME DES PAPETERIES | D' ARCHES FILIGRANÉ | PAUSOLE & VERTÈS | ELLE EST ILLUSTRÉE DE SOIXANTE-QUATORZE | POINTES-SÈCHES ORIGINALES | DE | VERTÈS | SON TIRAGE A ÉTÉ STRICTEMENT LIMITÉ A | QUATRE-VINGT-DIX-NEUF EXEMPLAIRES NUMÉROTÉS | DE 1 A 99 ET CONTENANT : | 1° LA SUITE DES CUIVRES AVEC REMAROUES. | 2° UNE SUITE DES 15 PLANCHES REFUSÉES. | IL A ÉTÉ TIRÉ EN OUTRE, POUR L' ARTISTE ET LES COLLABORATEURS, | QUELQUES EXEMPLAIRES NOMINATIFS, DONT DEUX IMPRIMÉS SUR PAPIER | CHIFFE D'AUVERGNE A LA MAIN | EXEMPLAIRE | № 9 || Colophon: Cet ouvrage, établi aux dépens de m. L. Givaudan, a été achevé d'imprimer le quinze novembre mil neuf cent trente, pour le texte, sur les presses de R. Coulouma, maitre imprimeur a Argenteuil, H. Barthélemy, directeur, et pour les pointes-sèches, dans les ateliers de «La Tradition", a Paris. Limited edition of 99 copies, this is copy № 9. Vol. 2: Three-quarters crimson morocco over cloth outlined gilt, 32.7 x 27.8 x 4 cm in a 33.3 x 28.2 x 4.3 cm slipcase, cloth endpapers, all edges gilt, printed on thick wove paper by ‘Arches’ watermarked “Pausole & Vertès”. Collation: 3 blanks, 74 unpaginated leaves of plates (main suite avec remarque), blank, 15 leaves of plates (refusées), t.p./limit., blank, 30 leaves of plates (15 prints in two states each, with and without ‘remarks’) titled Au pays du Roi Pausole, 3 blanks. Title-page (red and black): AU PAYS | DU | ROI PAUSOLE | Quinze cuivres | gravés par un artiste | inconnu | de la suite | du Roi | ❦ | —| TRYPHÈME. MCMXXX. || Limitation: IL A ÉTÉ TIRÉDE CETTE SUITE | DE POINTES-SÈCHES VINGT- | CINQ EXEMPLAIRES SUR VÉ- | LIN A LA FORME DES PAPETE- | RIES ARCHES AU FILIGRANE | DE PAUSOLE. CES SUITES NON | MISES DANS LE COMMERCE | SONT RÉSERVÉES A SA MAJES- | TÉ, AUX REINES PRÉFÉRÉES | PARMI LL. AA. RR. ET A QUEL- | QUES FIDÈLES SERVITEURS. | № 13 || Limited edition of 25 copies, this is copy № 13; Enriched with an original copper plate with one of the illustrations. Marcel Willard (French, – provenance. Catalogue raisonné: Dutel (III) 1057; Nordmann (II) № 307; Vokaer 26. Ref.: honesterotica.com Contributors: Pierre Louÿs (French, 1870 – 1925) – author. Marcel Vertès [Marcell Vértes] (Jewish-Hungarian-French, 1895 – 1961) – artist. Léon Givaudan (French, 1875 – 1936) – publisher. Seller's description:Les Aventures du Roi Pausole. Paris, Aux dépens d'un amateur, 1930. 2 volumes in-4, maroquin rouge janséniste, tranches dorée, couverture et dos, emboîtage. Le volume de suites est relié en demi-maroquin rouge. (Alix). Ouvrage illustré de 74 pointes-sèches de Marcel Vertès. Tirage à 99 exemplaires sur vélin d'Arches, comportant la suite des cuivres avec remarque, ainsi qu'une suite des 15 planches refusées. Exemplaire enrichi d'une plaque de cuivre ayant servi à une des illustrations, d'un dessin avec envoi autographe signé de l'artiste sur la page de faux-titre et d'une double suite des 15 pointes-sèches par un artiste inconnu intitulée Au Pays du roi Pausole. Dos légèrement passés. -
Cover: QUELQUES MÉMOIRES | DE | CASANOVA | Aquarelles originales de Rojankowski (pasted) | {fleuron} | PARIS | — | Javal et Bourdeaux | 1932 || Title: QUELQUES | MÉMOIRES | de | CASANOVA | DE SEINGALT | ÉCRITS PAR LUI-MÊME | — | {fleuron} | PARIS | — | Javal et Bourdeaux | 44 bis, Rue de Villejust || Pagination: ffl [4] – t.p. / blank, h.t. with pasted crayon illustr. / Exemplaire № 660, [1] 2-307 [308 blank] bfl, 10 original watercolours (with glassine paper guards) by Feodor Rojankovsky, extraneous to collation. Binding: Softcover, publisher’s grey wrappers with black and red lettering to front cover and spine; in grey canvas over cardboard folder with purple cloth gilt-lettered spine; grey canvas over cardboard slipcase. Catalogue Raisonné: Not in J.-P. Dutel (his catalogue contains only clandestine editions). Comment by J.-P. Dutel: In this copy of the edition, 20 illustrations by Auguste Leroux were cancelled and replaced with 10 original watercolours by Feodor Rojankovsky. Only one such copy exists. -
Publisher’s wrappers, 21.3 x 14.8 cm, 10 four-leave gatherings, unsigned, pp.: [8] 1-70 [2]; total 40 leaves (80 pages), illustrated with 73 in-text woodcuts in sanguine after Feodor Rojankovsky drawings. [1]4 recto reproduces the author’s handwriting. Unbound. Some foxing to the wrappers, all pages clean. Title-page: Poésies Érotiques | de | Pierre Louys | {vignette} | ROME | 1937 || Print run limited to 311 copies, 230 copies (№№ 71-300) on BFK Rives wove paper (watermarked); of which this is copy № 93. Catalogue raisonné: Dutel III 2230. Contributors: Pierre Louÿs (French, 1870 – 1925) – author. Feodor Rojankovsky [Rojan, Фёдор Степанович Рожанковский] (Russian-American, 1891 – 1970). -
Two volumes, 168 x 106 mm each, uniformly bound in faux mottled calf ruled in gilt, marbled endpapers. Vol. 1: 3 blank leaves of wove paper, 3 blank leaves of laid paper, half-title/blank, blank/frontispiece, ‘engraved’ t.p./blank, both printed on laid paper watermarked “ARCHES A LA | MAIN”; ‘letterpress’ t.p.,/blank, pp.: [1] 2-115 [116 blank], 3 blank leaves of laid paper, 3 blank leaves of wove paper; collated 12mo: π2 A-I6 K4; total 60 leaves plus 16 ‘engraved’ plates, incl. t.p. and frontis. Vol. 2: 3 blank leaves of wove paper, 3 blank leaves of laid paper, half-title/blank, blank/frontispiece, ‘engraved’ t.p./blank, no watermark, ‘letterpress’ t.p.,/blank, pp.: 1-77 [78 blank], 2 blank leaves of laid paper, 3 blank leaves of wove paper; collated 12mo: π2 A-F6 G3; total 41 leaves plus 24 ‘engraved’ plates, incl. t.p. and frontis. Dutel (I): A-1089, p. 325: in-8 (probably by size only, no formula suggested), pagination 115 and 77 as here, 2 frontispieces, 2 engraved titles dated 1873, “et 36 belles gravures de Binet”. Cohen-DeRicci: p. 734 bottom: in-12, no pagination, no formula. "Thérèse" was offered by a French seller user-75d14f4 on the online auction platform CATAWIKI in December 2021. The seller's description of this two-volume set was: "Re-edition, the date of which I was unable to determine. (London, no name, 1782) 2 duodecimo volumes of 115 and 77 pp., very lovely marbled sheepskin pastiche bindings, gilded triple fillets, adorned spines, black title labels. This classic of 18th-century clandestine erotica was written in 1748 by an author who has remained anonymous, attributed at the time to Montigny, which led to his internment in the Bastille. It is now attributed to the Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens. Edition illustrated with 37 very unrestrained figures, engraved in intaglio after Borel, unsigned." I should have paid more attention to the first phase, about the re-edition, but I didn't. After a few bidding rounds, I won the book when the hammer price was 2,200 Euros. On the 28th of December, 2021, I paid for this little beauty $2,760. The book arrived a few days later. The paper's quality and texture, the watermark, the absence of the platemark, and the lack of embossing on the back (text and plates) made me suspect it was a fake. The pages were absolutely flat to the touch! I established clear evidence of a high-resolution 'xerox' copy using Celestron Micro Capture Pro micro-photography. I wrote to the seller and the auction platform, explaining my doubts regarding its authenticity. To prove my point, I include a few micro photos of the "Thérèse" and some books printed at the end of the 18th century. I explained why I considered it a fake and requested a return/refund. After two months of email exchanges, the seller and the platform refused to pay me back. Today is the 2nd anniversary of the purchase. I still have the book. To celebrate my carelessness, I included it in my library to warn fellow book collectors about buying from an unknown dealer via certain online auction platforms. Ref.: Bamber Gascoigne. How to Identify Prints: A Complete Guide to Manual and Mechanical Processes from Woodcut to Ink. — Thames and Hudson, 1995.
Books used for comparison: [LIB-2743.2021] Restif de la Bretonne. Les parisiennes, ou XL caractères généraux pris dans les mœurs actuelles, propres à servir à l’instruction des personnes-du-sexe / 4 vol. — Neufchâtel, et Paris: Guillot, 1787. [LIB-3027.2022] [Héliodore d’Emèse]. Amours de Théagènes et Chariclée: Histoire Éthiopique / 2 vol. — Londres [i.e. Paris]: [s.n.], 1743. [LIB-3252.2023] [Nicolas Chorier.] Le Meursius françois, ou entretiens galans d’Aloysia, orné de figures. — Cythere [i.e. Paris: Cazin], 1782. Below is a Xerox copy for comparison.Thérèse philosophe, 1783.
Late 18th century books
