Deux Contes
This bibliophile edition of Deux Contes by Oscar Wilde, published in 1940, is a masterful example of the French livre d’artiste as developed in the first half of the twentieth century. Under the direction of François-Louis Schmied, one of the foremost book artists of his time, the book was designed, illustrated, hand-printed, and published in a strictly limited edition of 162 copies. The collaboration between literature and graphic art achieves a rare harmony in this edition, in which typography, color wood engravings, and layout merge into a total experience. Each copy is signed by Schmied and produced on hand-made paper, with illustrations printed in color, gold, and palladium on the artist’s own hand press.
Quantity
Wilde, Oscar
Schmied, François-Louis
Deux Contes
1940 | Paris | Artiste
This edition is the result of a unique encounter between literary emotion and graphic vision: a sensual, symbolic, and rare book object that transforms Oscar Wilde’s language into visual music.
This bibliophile edition of Deux Contes by Oscar Wilde, published in 1940, is a masterful example of the French livre d’artiste as developed in the first half of the twentieth century. Under the direction of François-Louis Schmied, one of the foremost book artists of his time, the book was designed, illustrated, hand-printed, and published in a strictly limited edition of 162 copies. The collaboration between literature and graphic art achieves a rare harmony in this edition, in which typography, color wood engravings, and layout merge into a total experience. Each copy is signed by Schmied and produced on hand-made paper, with illustrations printed in color, gold, and palladium on the artist’s own hand press.
€3,000
Condition Report:
In-Depth Study
References & Bibliography
Format
In-4 (Quarto) approx. 25 × 32 cm
Print Run
162
Copy Number
110
Inscription
Signed by the Illustrator
Product DETAIL
The collection contains two short stories by Oscar Wilde in French translation: Le Prince Heureux (The Happy Prince) and Le Rossignol et la Rose (The Nightingale and the Rose). Both tales combine simplicity with profound moral depth. In The Happy Prince, a gilded statue, aided by a swallow, sacrifices himself for the sake of the poor. In The Nightingale and the Rose, a nightingale dies to create a rose for a lovestruck young man, only to witness his shallow rejection. Wilde’s stories are imbued with symbolism, melancholy, and social engagement, told in a tone that is at once childlike and philosophical.
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
Éluard, Paul
Au rendez-vous allemand
Au rendez-vous allemand is one of the emblematic collections of Éluard’s wartime poetry. The book appeared in 1944 from Les Éditions de Minuit, the publishing house that, under the Occupation, became a moral landmark of the French literary Resistance. The volume gathers poems in which love, mourning, revolt and hope appear not as abstractions but as immediate necessities under German rule. The frontispiece, a portrait of the poet after Picasso, gives the book a powerful artistic signature: two voices of modern France, poet and artist, stand here in the same struggle. This is an ordinary, unnumbered copy, but signed by Éluard on the first page. That signature makes the book more than a Resistance document: it becomes a tangible witness to literary presence in a historically charged year. For the collector, it unites the clandestine aura of Minuit, Picasso’s name and Éluard’s own hand.
Illustrated Book
€350
Gracq, Julien · Bellmer, Hans
André Breton. Quelques aspects de l'écrivain.
A rare homage by Julien Gracq to André Breton, published by José Corti in a limited edition of 70 copies. This essay is both a powerful literary portrait and a visual tribute, thanks to Hans Bellmer’s iconic line portrait on the cover. Bellmer, known for his surrealist and psychosexual art, ties the book to the avant-garde movements of the 20th century. Gracq’s analysis is rigorous and insightful, reflecting his close engagement with Breton’s ideas. The collaboration between these two major figures and the fine print quality make this a coveted item for collectors of surrealist literature.
Illustrated Book
€500
The Architecture of Absurdity: Alfred Jarry, Pataphysics and the Destructive Aesthetics of the Ubu Cycle
From schoolyard prank to cultural revolution: how Alfred Jarry created Père Ubu and the science of pataphysics, permanently transforming modern theater, literature, and philosophy.