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La Machine Infernale. Pièce en 4 actes

SKU LAMA-001
Price

€950.00

A refined *édition originale* of Cocteau’s tragedy in a luxury binding mirroring the play’s classical setting. The design — symmetry, restraint, gilt on dark morocco — amplifies Cocteau’s play with ancient myth and modern cadence. Sixteen previously unpublished plates by the author follow the 224 pages of text. The handy duodecimo scale belies the work’s monumental themes, while preserved wrappers and a protective case attest to careful stewardship. An exemplary fusion of literature, drawing, and bookcraft.

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La Machine Infernale. Pièce en 4 actes
1934 | Paris | Grasset
A bibliophile first in classical finery: lucid in language, spare in line, and — in this binding — especially compelling.

A refined *édition originale* of Cocteau’s tragedy in a luxury binding mirroring the play’s classical setting. The design — symmetry, restraint, gilt on dark morocco — amplifies Cocteau’s play with ancient myth and modern cadence. Sixteen previously unpublished plates by the author follow the 224 pages of text. The handy duodecimo scale belies the work’s monumental themes, while preserved wrappers and a protective case attest to careful stewardship. An exemplary fusion of literature, drawing, and bookcraft.

€950
Condition Report:
In-Depth Study
References & Bibliography
Format
In-12 (Duodecimo) approx. 17 × 22 cm
Edition Particulars
One of 33 numbered copies on Arches wove, all margins uncut (second paper).
Print Run
33
Copy Number
25
Paper
vélin d'Arches
1
Edition Particulars:
We welcome private inquiries, collaborations with institutions, and acquisition requests. Each message is treated with discretion and respect. We welcome private inquiries, collaborations with institutions, and acquisition requests.
1
Print Run:
Condition Report:
1
Copy Number:
Condition Report:
1
Paper:
Condition Report:
1
Signed:
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Product DETAIL

Cocteau reframes the Oedipus myth in four acts: a lucid stylisation where fate and irony intersect. The diction is spare and musical; dialogue locks together like cogs — the “machine” of the title. The arc moves from seduction and warning to revelation and catastrophe. Sixteen closing plates distil motifs (Sphinx, oracle, dream-image) in dialogue with the stage. Classical structure, modern tone.

Une aventure méthodique
Reverdy, Pierre · Braque, Georges
Une aventure méthodique

*Une aventure méthodique* brings together Pierre Reverdy’s concentrated poetic prose and Georges Braque’s austere visual language. It belongs among the major post-war French livres d’artiste, where text, lithography and typography meet as equal forces. Braque contributed 27 original lithographs, supplemented by colour reproductions after his paintings, giving the volume both intimacy and monumentality. Printed by Mourlot, the celebrated Paris lithographic workshop, the book has exceptional technical refinement. This copy, on vélin d’Arches and signed by both author and artist, preserves a rare encounter between modern poetry and pictorial invention.

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Sombre printemps. Traduit de l’allemand par Ruth Henry et Robert Valançay.
Zürn, Unica · Bellmer, Hans
Sombre printemps. Traduit de l’allemand par Ruth Henry et Robert Valançay.

This large and sumptuous edition of Sombre printemps brings together one of Unica Zürn’s most haunting texts and an original burin frontispiece by Hans Bellmer. Issued by Pierre Belfond as the French translation of Dunkler Frühling, it appeared when Zürn’s name had become inseparable from Bellmer’s. That proximity is not merely biographical here; it shapes the entire aura of the book, in which text and image seem to emerge from the same disturbed inner world. The deluxe issue, printed on vélin d’Arches and accompanied by an additional proof on japon nacré, gives the volume a distinctly bibliophilic status. Bellmer’s signed frontispiece does not simply decorate the text, but stands as a visual counterpoint to Zürn’s claustrophobic prose. The publication is all the more poignant for having followed so closely upon Zürn’s death, as though the book became both tribute and posthumous memorial. Within the Cahiers du Regard, it ranks among the most charged and desirable collaborations. For the collector, this copy unites literary intensity, surrealist resonance, and exceptional material refinement.

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Les Mystères du Confessionnal
Bouvier · Bellmer, Hans
Les Mystères du Confessionnal

A rare illustrated book that explores the decadence and sensual darkness of Catholicism. Hans Bellmer's engravings transform Bouvier's texts into a graphic exploration of forbidden desires. This work, situated at the intersection of literature and art, reveals a unique symbiosis between the provocative texts on the dark side of religion and Bellmer's unsettling, surrealist aesthetic. Bellmer's nine original burin engravings unveil a world of physical and psychological ambiguity and attest to his mastery as a printmaker and his fascination with the human form in all its distortions. The book is a testament to the subversive power of the illustrated edition and the way art and literature can reinforce each other to create an unforgettable statement.

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Le Cœur à gaz
Tzara, Tristan · Delaunay, Sonia
Le Cœur à gaz

This spectacular bibliophile edition of *Le Cœur à gaz* merges poetry and avant-garde theatre in a visually striking object. Illustrated with twelve lithographs by Sonia Delaunay, including seven full-page plates, it showcases the collaboration between Dadaist poet Tristan Tzara and modernist artist Delaunay. The prints are based on her 1923 costume designs, evoking the radical spirit of the time.

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Studies & Dossiers
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The ‘destroyed’ copies of La lampe dans l’horloge

Books thrive on rumours. This is the story of a first issue Breton ‘made disappear’—and the copies that persisted.

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