Search Results: French Literature from B & B Rare Books, Ltd., ABAA

Paris: Parent-Desbarres, 1841 Two volumes. First edition. Finely bound in tan calf, boards decoratively ruled in gilt, centrally stamped to front boards with Institution Savouré emblem in gilt, green calf spine labels lettered in gilt, blue marbled endpapers and text block edges. A very good set with some rubbing to extremities and wear to front hinges, light scattered foxing to both volumes, damp staining to outer edge of text block in Vol. I. Overall, a handsome set. This two-volume set includes a short history of both Switzerland and Bavaria. The text on Switzerland spans from the first year A.D. to the year 1829, and is separated into chapters that each cover a period of several years. Similarly, the text on Bavaria begins with a general summary of life before the fall of the Roman empire, with a more detailed description covering years 554 to 1820. Savagner, a historian, published several other historical works, including a history of the world. The Institution Savouré, whose… Read More

Paris: Michel Lévy Frères, 1872 First edition. Presentation copy, signed and inscribed by Hugo on the half-title to close friend and fellow writer, Ernest d'Hervilly: A mon cher et charmant/ poëte d'Hervilly / Victor Hugo." Finely bound in three-quarter blue crushed morocco over black and blue marbled boards, spine lettered in gilt, four raised bands, speckled edges, gray marbled endpapers, original gray printed front wrapper bound in at front. Spine lightly faded, mild rubbing and slight wear to the extremities, front wrapper with some light staining; internally, very clean with a few scattered spots, else near fine. . Signed by Author. First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine.

Brussels: Éditions de la Cité Chrétienne, 1934 Later edition. Bound into an earlier armorial binding from the early 18th century, full red morocco, ruled in gilt with fleur-de-lis designs to corners and the coat of arms of Princess Palatine Elizabeth-Charlotte, wife of Philippe, Duke of Orleans, centrally stamped in gilt to front and rear boards. A very good copy with some wear to extremities and slight discoloration to parts of the boards, interior fine overall, some pencil notes to verso of the front free endpaper regarding the arms stamped to the binding. This book of prayers and meditations was written by Jacques Leclercq, a Catholic priest and theologian who published several books and founded the periodical La Cité chrétienne. He served as a professor at the Facultés Universitaires Saint-Louis in Brussels. On an armorial binding, the coat of arms of a particular person or family is stamped to one or both of the boards, sometimes accompanying… Read More

Paris: Les Éditions de Minuit, 1982 First edition, first printing. Presentation copy, signed and inscribed by Beckett to Mel Gussow on title page: "For Mel Gussow / With all good wishes / Sam Beckett / 24.6.83." Publisher's original white wrappers, front wrapper and spine lettered in blue and black. About fine, with just some light toning to spine and edges. Overall, an excellent association copy, from Mel Gussow's personal library. In Catastrophe, an imperious director and his assistant prepare a man, who stands on an 18" black block with his eyes looking down, for the last scene of a dramatic performance. After making dehumanizing adjustments to the man's appearance, like stripping him down to his pajamas, they do a run through of the scene, which ends with the director exclaiming "There's our catastrophe! In the bag." They do one more run through, but this time the man raises his eyes defiantly to the crowd. Catastrophe, often interpreted as a… Read More

London, 1783 24 mo. Five volumes. Early edition. Finely bound in contemporary tan mottled calf, boards triple-ruled in gilt and spines stamped in gilt, board edges and turn-ins gilt, text block edges gilt, red and blue marbled endpapers; green silk markers in each volume. A near fine set with just some light wear to extremities, most pronounced in Vol. II, two small holes in the leather of Vol. V, bookplate of Philibert Bruys de Gardes to front pastedown of each volume. Overall, a beautiful set. This set includes the complete dramatic works of two noted French dramatists, brothers Pierre and Thomas Corneille. Both were active writers during the 17th century, publishing dozens of works each. Pierre, older than his brother by 19 years, is the better known of the two, and is counted among some of the greatest dramatists of the 17th century, alongside Molière and Racine. His most famous work, the tragicomedy Le Cid (1637), was performed at the Théâtre du Marais in Paris, and was an… Read More

London: Faber and Faber, 1984 First edition thus. Presentation copy, inscribed by Beckett to Mel Gussow on title page: "For Mel / from his friend / Sam / Paris / July 1985." Publisher's original green, white, and gray patterned wrappers, with illustration of Beckett by Sue Linney to front wrapper, lettered in black and green. Near fine, with a few light marks and creases to edges of wrappers, very mild toning to spine, and edges of pages lightly toned. Overall, a lovely presentation copy. This copy comes from Mel Gussow's personal library. This volume contains twenty-nine of Beckett's shorter plays, including classics like All That Fall, Krapp's Last Tape, Embers, Acts Without Words, and Catastrophe. These shorter works are exemplary of Beckett's signature minimalism. According to Britannica, "Beckett's later works tended toward extreme concentration and brevity…. Such brevity is merely an expression of Beckett's determination to pare his writing to… Read More

Paris: Les Éditions de Minuit, 1980 Translated from the original English by the author. First French trade edition, first printing. Presentation copy, signed and inscribed by Beckett to Mel Gussow on title page: "For Mel Gussow / With all good wishes / Sam Beckett / Paris / July 1982." Publisher's original white wrappers, front wrapper and spine lettered in blue and black. Near fine, with light toning to spine and edges, and a small patch of light surface damage to rear wrapper. Overall, a fresh and clean copy. This copy comes from Mel Gussow's personal library. Compagnie (Company) is a semi-autobiographical prose piece that tells the story of an older man lying on his back in the dark as an ethereal, unidentified voice narrates an extended third person monologue. As with many of the author's prose and dramatic works, Compagnie is lauded for its deconstructive form. Beckett, an Irish author and native English speaker, moved to France and subsequently transitioned from… Read More

Paris: Galerie de Goupil et Cie, [1918] Illustrated by Césare Bonanomi, Edith Fry, Jeka Kemp, Henri Lejeune, René Quillivic, and Alic Whyte, among others. First edition. Publisher's white paper wrappers, lettered in blue. Near fine, with some light soiling to the wrappers, light rusting to the staple binding, a few faint spots to the otherwise clean pages. A lovely copy. This illustrated pamphlet is the catalog for the second exposition of the Arc-en-Ciel group of French, English, and American artists held in Paris at the gallery of Goupil et Cie. The text lists the titles of the exposition's 308 works of art as well as the names and addresses of the contributing artists. As de Waleffe explains in his introduction, the name l'Arc-en-Ciel ("the rainbow") refers to the beauty and joy that arts brought to France after so many years of the "storm" of World War I.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine.

Paris: A. Sirou, 1845 8vo. First edition. Finely bound in contemporary brown tree-marbled sheepskin, spine stamped in gilt with red morocco spine label lettered in gilt, marbled edges and endpapers. A very good copy with some light wear to extremities and a few scratches to boards, light foxing scattered throughout text block. Overall, a handsome copy. Written by the ethnographer and scholar Marie-Theodore de Bussière, this text provides a non-fiction account of the life of Charles le Téméraire, who served as the Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477. An active military leader, he was instrumental in the negotiations of the Treaty of Peronne, reaching an agreement with King Louis XI that led to the transfer of power of Ponthieu county over to Burgundy.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good.

Paris: Lang, Union des grandes associations françaises contre la propaganda Ennemie, 1918 Publisher's white paper wrappers, lettered in black. About near fine, with some light spotting and minor soiling to the front wrapper, some rust and minor wear to the staple binding, else bright and clean. A very handsome piece of WWI propaganda. Very scarce (only 4 copies listed in World Cat). L'effort américain is a transcription of a speech given by André Tardieu, the French Commissioner of the Franco-American War Cooperation. The speech was given on July 4, 1918, at a banquet hosted by the American Chamber of Congress as part of the American Independence Day celebration in Paris. This document is one of many items issued by the Union of Great French Associations Against the War, which was formed in 1917 to counter German propaganda in French occupied territories.. Soft Cover. Near Fine.

London, 1784 Three volumes. Later edition. Finely bound in contemporary speckled light brown calf, boards triple ruled in gilt, spines decorated in gilt with gray leather spine labels lettered in gilt, board edges and turn-ins tooled in gilt, text block edges gilt, red and blue marbled endpapers. A near fine set with a touch of light rubbing to extremities, small insect hole to the outside of the front hinge of each volume, damp staining to frontispiece in Vol. I, else very tight and clean. This volume contains Bruyère's French translation of the philosophical work Characters by the Greek philosopher Théophrastus, along with Bruyère's own philosophical text. Théophrastus was a student of both Plato and Aristotle, and in the work translated here, presents his sketches of various types of moral character. Bruyère, a moralist inspired by Théophrastus, published his own set of sketches on moral character.. Hard Cover. Near Fine.

Bruxelles: A. Lacroix, Verboeckhoven & Cie, 1862 First edition, preceding the French edition. Ten volumes finely bound in contemporary crushed dark green morocco with red marbled boards, with five raised bands to the spines, decorated and lettered in gilt, red marbled endpapers. An excellent set with some mild wear and rubbing to the edges, a few scattered spots, else near fine. Overall, a bright and attractive set of the true first edition. Les Misérables is a historical novel that was an instant success and is now widely considered one of the best novels of the 19th century. Jean Valjean, a convict and victim was imprisoned for nearly two decades after stealing a loaf of bread for his starving family. It follows him from the time of his release from prison in 1815 through the June Rebellion (French Revolution) of 1832. Valjean's struggle for redemption allows the reader to examine the French lower classes' extreme poverty and malcontent that were central to the July Revolution… Read More

Belgium: Louis Elzebier, 1648 First edition. Finely bound in mid-18th century brown calf, ruled in blind to boards and in gilt to spine with decorative floral tooling and a black leather spine label lettered in gilt, board edges tooled in blind, red text block edges, red marbled endpapers, two blue silk markers present. A very good copy with wear to extremities and front hinge cracked but holding, otherwise a beautiful copy with a clean interior. A non-fiction discourse on the state of relations between France and Austria, this text seeks to highlight the historical events, beginning in 1477, that led to the various wars, conflicts, and periods of peace between what were the two most powerful Christian states in Europe.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good.

Amsterdam: Ludovicum & Danielem Elzevirios, 1656 Third edition. Contemporary brown calf with sides ruled in blind, four raised bands to spine, and red leather label lettered in gilt to spine. Very good, with light wear and chipping to calf on joints and edges, rebacked, 19th century inscriptions to front fly leaf and half-title page, biographical clippings affixed to front endpapers, light dampstaining to page margins, some tears to lower margins of introductory pages, some pencil annotations to "Methode" section of Specimina Philosophiae (pp. 1-48), and library card pocket to rear pastedown. Overall, a sturdy and attractive copy. Opera Philosophica contains some of the French philosopher René Descartes' most influential works. Specimina Philosophiae includes three Descartes essays published in 1637 - "Methode," "La Dioptrique," and "Meteores." In "Methode," Descartes outlines his skepticism-based method for understanding the natural… Read More

New York: Grove Press, [1957] (originally published in 1931), 1981 First American edition. One of 250 copies signed and numbered by Beckett on the limitation page, this being number 76. Publisher's brown cloth-backed white patterned paper-covered boards, with front board and spine lettered in gilt. Near fine, with light toning to spine and upper edges of boards, and just a hint of spotting to rear board. Overall, a beautiful copy, seemingly unread. From the personal library of American theater critic and friend of Beckett, Mel Gussow. Proust, Beckett's second published book, is a dense study of the French author Marcel Proust, which gives insight into Beckett's own burgeoning ideas on writing. Beckett wrote the essay in 1930 as a commission for Chatto & Windus' Dolphin Books series. In all, fourteen titles were published in the series, which only ran from 1930 to 1932. Beckett went on to write classic works like The Trilogy (Molloy; Malone Dies; The Unnamable) (1951-1953), Endgame… Read More

Paris: Blanchard, 1816 With a frontispiece and additional engraved title page. Second edition. Contemporary tan sheepskin, ruled in blind to boards and stamped in gilt to spine with red leather spine label lettered in gilt, edges tooled in gilt, green silk marker present. A very good copy with some wear to extremities, bottom edge of front hinge gently starting, bookplate with Patris-Cougousse coat of arms to front pastedown. This short biography of King Louis XVII (1785-1795) tells the story of the young king who spent nearly half of his short life in prison. Recognized as a duke at birth, Louis XVII would be named King of France at age eight, after the death of his father. Despite the title, the young king had been imprisoned when France was declared a Republic by revolutionaries the year before, and would remain so until his death just three years later, at the age of ten.. Hard Cover. Very Good.

New York: Grove Press, 1954 Translated from author's own original French. First American edition, first printing. Publisher's black cloth, with wraparound title in blind, spine lettered in gold and silver foil, red endpapers; in its original black and white dust jacket, with a photograph from a production of the play to front panel, and portrait of Beckett to rear panel. Fine book with just a minuscule spot of soiling to fore edge of text block; about fine unclipped dust jacket, with a touch of toning to spine and flap edges, and a tiny bit of rubbing to foot of spine. Overall, a truly excellent copy. Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play about two main characters, Vladimir and Estragon, who converse in witty and amusing banter while they wait for Godot, who ultimately never arrives. Beckett, an Irish author whose move to France was accompanied by his transition from writing in English to French, translated this text from its original French (published under the title En attendant Godot). The play… Read More

London: Faber and Faber [orig. published 1956], 1981 Later edition. Presentation copy, signed and inscribed by Beckett on title page: "For Mel / With all good wishes / from Sam / Paris / 29.8.84." Publisher's white wrappers, with a drawing of a tree and hand by Sidney Nolan on front wrapper, printed in black. About fine, with just a hint of soiling to wrappers, and light toning to margins of pages. Overall, an excellent inscribed copy of Beckett's greatest work. This copy comes from the personal library of Mel Gussow. Waiting for Godot - originally written in French, under the title En attendant Godot - is an absurdist play about two main characters, Vladimir and Estragon, who converse in witty and amusing banter while they wait for Godot, who ultimately never arrives. The play premiered in Paris at the Théâtre de Babylone in January 1953. A theatrical masterpiece, Godot was voted the "most significant English-language play of the 20th century" in a poll of… Read More

London: John Calder, 1983 First edition, first printing. Presentation copy, signed and inscribed by Beckett to American theater critic Mel Gussow on title page: "For / Mel Gussow / With all best wishes / Sam Beckett / Paris / 24.6.83." Publisher's green cloth, with titles in gilt to spine; in its original white and green dust jacket, printed in black and green, with photo of Beckett to rear panel attributed to Jerry Bauer. Fine in an about fine unclipped dust jacket, with a tiny crease to top of rear panel, a light crease to top corner of rear flap, and a hint of toning to extremities. Overall, a beautiful copy with an excellent association. This copy comes from the personal library of Mel Gussow. Worstward Ho is Samuel Beckett's penultimate novella. From the jacket's description: "As so often before, Mr. Beckett has created magic, transforming the emptiest of voids and insubstantiality of material into a whole unforgettable world that will live with the reader and become… Read More