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Ainsi va l'amitié

SKU AINS-001

What makes this copy especially memorable is not only its tiny limitation but the way it fixes three friendships at once: that between Char and Braque, that between Char and PAB, and that of all of them with the image that outlives them. The eight original photographs are not an illustrative supplement but the true bearers of presence; they preserve gazes, workspaces, and silences. The fact that PAB and Mariette Lachaud signed this copy gives it an almost confidential status, as though the circle of makers were still present within the book. In such editions, bibliophily becomes more than rarity alone: it becomes a form of shared memory.

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Ainsi va l'amitié
1962 | S.l. (Alès) | Éditions PAB
An exceptionally rare PAB edition in which Char, Braque, and their circle meet tangibly in word, image, and binding.

What makes this copy especially memorable is not only its tiny limitation but the way it fixes three friendships at once: that between Char and Braque, that between Char and PAB, and that of all of them with the image that outlives them. The eight original photographs are not an illustrative supplement but the true bearers of presence; they preserve gazes, workspaces, and silences. The fact that PAB and Mariette Lachaud signed this copy gives it an almost confidential status, as though the circle of makers were still present within the book. In such editions, bibliophily becomes more than rarity alone: it becomes a form of shared memory.

€4,500
Condition Report:
In-Depth Study
References & Bibliography
Format
In-4 (Quarto) approx. 25 × 32 cm
Edition Particulars
Copy 20 of 21, signed by PAB and Mariette Lachaud.
Print Run
21
Copy Number
No. 20
Paper
Rives
Inscription
Signed by the Editor

Product DETAIL

The book is structured around two brief texts or aphoristic statements by Georges Braque and René Char, surrounded and answered by eight original photographs. There is no continuous narrative; at the centre stands the friendship among the figures involved and the way it becomes visible through faces, studios, landscapes, and proximity. Four photographs by Mariette Lachaud show, among other things, Braque, Char, and the studio environment; four by Pierre-André Benoît add his own view of this circle. The result is a condensed portrait of an artistic community rather than a linear story. Its composition rests on resonance between word and image, between memory and presence. The book does not merely document a relationship but makes it physically tangible within a carefully staged ensemble. Its tone is intimate, restrained, and reverent, with a rare concentration of feeling and form.

Arrière-histoire du poème pulvérisé
Char, Rene · Stael, Nicolas de
Arrière-histoire du poème pulvérisé

*Arrière-histoire du poème pulvérisé* is a later illustrated edition of a key text in which René Char looks back on the genesis and inner background of *Le Poème pulvérisé*. Published in 1972 by Imprimerie Union, it opens with a colour frontispiece by Nicolas de Staël. The pairing of Char and de Staël is especially charged: two post-war voices, each seeking concentration, clarity, and rupture in his own medium. This copy is one of only six hors commerce copies on Arches and is signed. The autograph presentation inscription to Doctor Marcel Zara, with poetic quotation and October 1972 dating, makes it a deeply personal copy.

Illustrated Book
€920
Amis & Amille. Mystère du XIVe siècle.
Derain, André
Amis & Amille. Mystère du XIVe siècle.

This sumptuously bound book brings a medieval mystery to life through a rare collaboration between ancient literature and modern illustration. The geometric box design on garnet morocco provides striking contrast. André Derain’s 22 color lithographs – including one double and three full-page – enhance the narrative with expressive visual force. Printed on Rives vellum in an edition of 180 numbered copies, this copy (No. 72) was made for Baroness Vaxelaire and includes a suite on fine Japanese paper. The binding by Lucie Weill exemplifies artisanal excellence. A harmonious blend of narrative tradition and graphic daring.

Illustrated Book
€1,460
Arriver à se réveiller
Michaux, Henri · Bettencourt, Pierre
Arriver à se réveiller

A rare first edition of Arriver à se réveiller, written by Henri Michaux in the tremulous post-war years. The text unfolds as an inward journey toward lucidity, where sleep and waking mirror each other. Printed and published by Pierre Bettencourt in his own workshop, the edition’s small run preserves the work’s intimacy. The title-page vignette, a linocut by Bettencourt, sets a spare, rhythmic visual key that amplifies Michaux’s vigilant, vulnerable tone. This copy is handsomely bound in brown morocco with balsa boards by Miguet, a tactile nod to lightness under tension. For bibliophiles, it is an exemplary union of poetry, craft, and experiment. The volume embodies the independence of the post-war small press and Michaux’s radical sensitivity.

Illustrated Book
€680
Au dépens des mots
Hugnet, Georges · Valentine, Hugo
Au dépens des mots

An exceptional oblong in-16 volume bound in a single tome, comprising three editions of Au dépens des mots, including the exceedingly rare tête-de-tête edition on nacré japon.

Illustrated Book
€3,200
Studies & Dossiers
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When a Signature Becomes Provenance

A signature confirms; a dedication connects; an association copy tells a story.

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The Fragile Meaning of ‘Complet’

In auction descriptions, “complete” often sounds reassuring — but it is only meaningful when verified against the colophon, the justification, and the bibliography. For The Hidden Page, clarity begins where vague market language ends.

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The Avant-Garde and the Illustrated Word

How the Twentieth Century Recast the Book as an Artistic and Ideological Medium

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