Nouvelles Hébrides, Nouvelle
Guinée
*Nouvelles Hébrides, Nouvelle Guinée* is a very rare first PAB edition by René Char, printed in Alès in 1962. As often with Pierre-André Benoît, the book’s intensity lies in its sobriety, small format, and extremely limited edition. The text would later be included in the second edition of *Recherche de la base et du sommet*, giving this first edition a special place in Char’s textual history. This copy is one of 44 on Arches, signed by both author and publisher. The inscription to Edmée Maus and her bookplate make it a meaningful association copy.
Quantity
Char, Rene
Nouvelles Hébrides, Nouvelle
Guinée
1962 | Alès | Éditions PAB
A rare original PAB edition by René Char, signed by both author and publisher. The inscription to Edmée Maus and her bookplate give this copy strong association value.
*Nouvelles Hébrides, Nouvelle Guinée* is a very rare first PAB edition by René Char, printed in Alès in 1962. As often with Pierre-André Benoît, the book’s intensity lies in its sobriety, small format, and extremely limited edition. The text would later be included in the second edition of *Recherche de la base et du sommet*, giving this first edition a special place in Char’s textual history. This copy is one of 44 on Arches, signed by both author and publisher. The inscription to Edmée Maus and her bookplate make it a meaningful association copy.
€860
Condition Report:
In-Depth Study
References & Bibliography
Format
In-8 Carré (approx. 24 x 20.5)
Edition Particulars
One of 44 copies on Arches, signed by René Char and PAB, with autograph inscription to Edmée Maus and her bookplate.
Print Run
50
Copy Number
No. 31
Paper
Arches
Inscription
Signed by the Author,Signed by the Editor
Product DETAIL
The text evokes the names New Hebrides and New Guinea in a concise, suggestive form as distant geographical and poetic poles. Char does not use these places as the basis for a travel narrative, but as charged signs of distance, origin, imagination, and inner displacement. The brief form suits his meditative prose, in which images flare up and immediately condense. The text would later find its place in *Recherche de la base et du sommet*, becoming part of Char’s broader reflection on poetry, reality, and foundation. The inscription to Edmée Maus adds a second layer: confidence in “the fire of unalterable words”.

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