Peine perdue, poèmes
Peine perdue is a contemplative poetry collection by Claude-André Puget, published in 1964 by Club du Poème in Geneva. Across 59 pages of restrained and lyrical verse, Puget explores themes of silence, memory, and absence. In poems like “Passagères du silence,” he evokes spectral figures of the night — forgotten presences from a vanished past. Better known as a playwright and novelist, Puget here unveils a more introspective, poetic side of his literary voice. This particular edition is one of only 38 copies printed on fine handmade Montgolfier linen paper, set in Garamont 12-point type. Numbered 10, it contains an original aquatint etching by André Masson, signed and numbered (3/30), printed in intaglio by the renowned Crommelynck workshop in Paris — a studio frequented by Picasso, Miró, and other 20th-century masters.
Quantity
Puget, Claude André
Masson, André
Peine perdue, poèmes
1964 | Geneve | Club du poème
A rare encounter between lyrical poetry and visionary art, Peine perdue embodies the refined spirit of the mid-century livre d’artiste.
Peine perdue is a contemplative poetry collection by Claude-André Puget, published in 1964 by Club du Poème in Geneva. Across 59 pages of restrained and lyrical verse, Puget explores themes of silence, memory, and absence. In poems like “Passagères du silence,” he evokes spectral figures of the night — forgotten presences from a vanished past. Better known as a playwright and novelist, Puget here unveils a more introspective, poetic side of his literary voice.
This particular edition is one of only 38 copies printed on fine handmade Montgolfier linen paper, set in Garamont 12-point type. Numbered 10, it contains an original aquatint etching by André Masson, signed and numbered (3/30), printed in intaglio by the renowned Crommelynck workshop in Paris — a studio frequented by Picasso, Miró, and other 20th-century masters.
€650
Condition Report:
In-Depth Study
References & Bibliography
Format
In-12 (Duodecimo) approx. 17 × 22 cm
Edition Particulars
One of 38 copies (no. 10) on pur fil lin vergé Montgolfier
Print Run
500
Copy Number
10
Paper
pur fil lin vergé Montgolfier
Inscription
Signed by the Illustrator
Product DETAIL
Peine perdue is an introspective poetry collection in which Claude-André Puget explores themes of memory, silence, loss, and the transience of human relationships. The poems, steeped in melancholy, evoke fragments of past loves, faces emerging from forgetfulness, and the quiet force of time that erases all things. Throughout the collection runs a search for meaning in the fleeting and the unspeakable, with recurring imagery of night, shadow, and silence as symbols of the unconscious. The work is personal and existential, free of sentimentality, and resonates with universal feelings of solitude and remembrance.

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

Waldberg, Patrick · Ernst, Max
Aux Petits Agneaux
A artist’s book resulting from the collaboration between writer Patrick Waldberg and surrealist master Max Ernst. This first edition includes 19 original lithographs printed on luxurious vélin d'Arches. Published in Paris in 1971 in a limited edition of 174 copies signed by both author and artist, and presented in a custom publisher’s box.
Illustrated Book
€2,200

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

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

When a Signature Becomes Provenance
A signature confirms; a dedication connects; an association copy tells a story.

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.

The Avant-Garde and the Illustrated Word
How the Twentieth Century Recast the Book as an Artistic and Ideological Medium





























