Rare books from WALDEN Rarebooks

[NOTICE EN FRANÇAIS À LA SUITE]
Paris, Louis Broder, collection " Écrits et Gravures ", n° 2, (24 October) 1956. 1 vol. (190 x 255 mm) of 122 p. and [1] f. Garnet morocco, cold fillet decoration on the boards, repetition of the decoration on the spine, blue morocco lining, silk endpapers, gilt title, gilt edges on witnesses, illustrated cover preserved, lined folder and case (binding signed by Semet et Plumelle, 1960).
FIRST EDITION.
UNIQUE COPY PRINTED ON JAPON. THE EDITOR'S ONE, WITH ORIGINAL DRAWING BY PICASSO AND UNIQUE EXTRA SUITE.
Printed by :
Imprimerie Union for the text and typography
Atelier Desjobert for the lithographs
Atelier Georges Leblanc for the drypoints
Georges Aubert for the woodcuts.
Print run
First issue printed at 170 copies on vergé de Montval, of which :
30 copies with the suite on old japon (1-30) - which contain the lithograph of the frontispiece and the 3 drypoints [the justification of the print run announces only the frontispiece without the suite] ;
120 numbered… Read More

New York, Reynal & Hitchcock, [1943].
1 vol. (175 x 230 mm) de 91 p. Percaline rose ancien et chemise à rabats illustrée de l'éditeur.
First edition.One on 260 signed and numbered copy (n° 33).
The iconic signed first edition of one of the world's most famous books.
After the publication of Pilote de guerre (Flight to Arras) on February 20, 1942, Americans were bowled over by the writer's story: the novel topped the bestseller lists in the USA for six months. In France, only 2,100 copies of the book were published at the end of the year, but the Vichy authorities banned it.
Because Saint-Exupéry often drew a little character, Curtice Hitchcock, his American publisher, suggested he write a children's story. Saint-Exupéry decided to illustrate the story himself, and immediately set to work. He buys paper, colored pencils and watercolors, and isolates himself with his wife Consuelo in the Bevin House mansion in New Jersey. Cloistered in his library, he worked in fits and starts, usually at night.… Read More

Paris, GLM, (January) 1969. 1 vol. (150 x 215 mm) of 25 p., [2] and 1 f. Full anthracite-gray tinted natural calf, stamped with an original etching based on a lithograph by Joan Miro, smooth spine, gilt edges on witnesses by Jean-Luc Bongrain, covers and spines preserved, goatskin velvet endpapers, lined folder and slipcase, title in chinois style on the folder, by Claude Ribal (binding signed by Louise Bescond, 2022).
First edition.
One of the first 95 copies on Arches (no. 65) containing the original color lithograph by Joan Miro, signed.
Inscribed copy by Miro : "Pour Gisèle, hommage d'amitié, Miro, VI/69".
In May 1968, away from the events shaking France, René Char suffered a heart attack, the first in a long series of cardiovascular accidents. From this "experience" he wrote Chien du Coeur, which he published a year later: "I believed that death was coming, but a death where, fulfilled by an unexampled understanding, I would have one more step to take before I fell asleep, to be returned… Read More

Marcel PROUSTPlacard d'épreuves pour La Bible d'Amiens
S.l.n.d. [circa February 1903]. 12 p. in-8, mounted on paper to form a large 49 x 130 cm sheet, bearing around 90 autograph corrections, as many typographical corrections.
Rare proofs of passages from La Bible d'Amiens, for publication in the literary journal La Renaissance latine on February 15, 1903.
Numerous autograph corrections, including several previously unpublished variants, testify to Proust's meticulous attention to detail in this translation, the success of which encouraged him to take up the exercise a second time with Le Sésame et les Lys two years later.
Marcel Proust began to take an interest in Ruskin's works in the autumn of 1899, as soon as he returned from Evian-les-Bains, immersing himself in the intensive reading of the man he called "this great man" after discovering the chapter entitled "The Lamp of Memory" in The Seven Lamps of Architecture. A few months later, he learned of the death of the art critic in the Figaro of… Read More

Henri CARTIER-BRESSONHyères
[1932].
1 black silver print (36 x 25 cm), signed in ink in the lower right margin. Modern print [circa 1990]. Framed.
Precious photograph, signed by Cartier-Bresson in the margin.
An iconic image from the french Master photographer.
"Hyères" was taken at the very beginning of Cartier-Bresson's photographic career, after his return from a trip to Africa in 1931. He stood at the top of a staircase on rue Edith-Warton, triggering his 50mm Leica, purchased a few days earlier in Marseille, at the fleeting passage of a cyclist.
Around 1931," said Cartier-Bresson, "I saw a photograph by Martin Munkàcsi [...] three black children running in the waves. I must say that it was this photo that set the world on fire. There is in this picture such an intensity, such a spontaneity, such a joy of living". He then abandoned his initial training - painting and literature - and devoted himself to photography. At the beginning of 1932, he was in Hyères - where he took this photo.
A… Read More

Paris, Émile Lévy, 1912-1913.
8 issues in 2 volumes (245 x 200 mm) of 255 pp. + illustrations. Bradel half vellum with corners, smooth spine painted with Art Nouveau decoration, gilt head, covers of n° 1 and 5 preserved (binding signed by Terquem).
Complete collection of the first 8 issues (November 1912 - March-June 1913) in continuous pagination.
10 plates per issue (numbered I-X), for a total of 80 lithographed or zincographed, stencil-colored color plates out of text, including 3 on double-page spreads, with numerous other drawings and sketches in the text, also in color for these first two years.
Beautiful collection of the first 8 issues (November 1912 - March-June 1913) of the famous magazine, in perfect condition, well established at the time by the Terquem company: this family business, located at the corner of Boulevard Haussmann and Rue Scribe, had been offering all the library necessities needed by book lovers since the end of the 19th century: "a very versatile business, very close to… Read More

First edition, a deluxe edition reserved for President Truman, which he financed himself: one of 101 copies bound in morocco for the American President.
Precious copy presented to the current British Prime Minister, Anthony Eden:
Inscribed: "To the Right Honorable Sir Anthony Eden from Harry S. Truman, Independence Dec. 31, 1955" in Volume 1,
and
"To the Right Honorable Sir Anthony Eden with great respect from Harry S. Truman, Independence July 14, 1956" in Volume 2.
Harry Truman became President on Roosevelt's sudden death on April 12, 1945, and it was Anthony Eden who represented Great Britain at Roosevelt's funeral. Both volumes were published, and donated, during Eden's term as Prime Minister (April 1955 to January 1957). Truman had just completed his second term as President of the United States (April 12, 1945, then November 2, 1948 to January 20, 1953).
Anthony Eden was Churchill's Foreign Secretary for most of the Second World War, from December 1940 to July 1945. He served Churchill loyally… Read More

Paris, Tournai, Casterman, [1954 and 1974]
1 vol. (230 x 300 mm) with 62 plates. Illustrated publisher's boards, red cloth spine, fourth plate type B (B11)
1 vol. (229 x 304 m), 62 plates. Illustrated publisher's paperback, green laminated spine, fourth board type B (B42)
Fine reunion of two albums:

The original first edition from 1954 ;
The last edition (1974) with type B variation: the album is here inscribed by Hergé and signed by "Buzz Aldrin (Apollo XI LMP)" - the second astronaut after Armstrong to set foot on the lunar surface, after the steps drawn fifteen years earlier by Tintin, Haddock, Dupont and Dupond, and of course Snowy, on the surface of the moon.

The ex-dono is signed "Buzz Aldrin, Apollo XI LMP" [ for Lunar Module Pilot: the manned missions of the Apollo program consisted of a crew of 3 astronauts, the Commander (CDR, Neil Armstrong), in charge of the crew; the Command Module Pilot (CMP, Michael Collins), who remained in orbit while his two crewmates were on the Moon, and the… Read More

Mougins, Hotel "Vaste Horizon", August 7, 19371 postcard (120 x 160 mm) from the Facteur Cheval's palace in Hauterives, addressed to "Mr. Man Ray, 49 rue Denfert-Rochereau, Paris XIVe", signed by Pablo Picasso, Dora Maar, Paul, Nusch and Cécile Éluard, - then aged 19.
[the other visuals are given as illustrations of this summer of 1937 and these prints are not for sale.]Un été à la Garoupe: an exceptional account of the summer of '37, in Mougins, where the Eluard and Picasso couple were waiting for the Man Ray- Ady Fidelin couple. It's Monday, July 26, 1937: the departure date for Picasso and Dora Maa, who take their friends on the road to the Côte d'Azur: aboard the imposing Hispano-Suiza driven by Marcel, his personal chauffeur, we find Paul Éluard, his daughter Cécile and his wife, Nusch.
Picasso is coming off a fruitful and historic peruide: he has just completed Guernica, in his studio at 7, rue des Grands-Augustins. For the first time, Picasso painted in the presence of an observer: Dora… Read More

[1990-2000].60 original sketches (210 x 280 mm), in ink, felt pen, graphite or watercolor.
A collection of 60 fashion sketches and drawings for the latest collections, produced between 1990 and 2000.
The story of Kenzo Takada is that of the first Japanese designer to make his mark on the Paris fashion scene. Born in 1939 in Himeji, Japan, Kenzo developed an early interest in fashion. Opposing his parents' decision to pursue literary studies, he enrolled at Tokyo's Bunka Fashion College, where he was one of the first male students to be admitted to the fashion and textile department. In 1965, he left his homeland to pursue his dream in the fashion capital of the world: Paris. "Every wall, every corner of the sky and every passer-by in the city inspires me to imagine my collections", said Kenzo Takada of his adopted city. He had moved there to learn from the greats, with the idea of returning to Japan afterwards. In love with the City of Light, with the feeling of being at home and the desire to… Read More

Paris, Émile-Paul frères, (September) 1913.
1 vol. (115 x 185 mm) with 366 p. and 1 f. Doubled ivory morocco, ribbed spine, gilt title, date at foot, double gilt fillet on edges, gilt edges on leaves, moiré endpapers, covers and spine preserved, cigar case (binding signed by Huser). First edition. Copy of first issue (text and cover). One of 1000 copies on satin-finish vellum (no. 555), the only paper after the 10 copies on green paper (Japons and Hollandes were printed later). First issue copy with dates of September for the printing of the text "15822-9-13" p. 366 and of October for the cover "15824-10-13", and with the mention on the back of the price 3F.50. Numbered copy no. 555 at the compositor, part of an edition of 1,000 copies of the current print run on cream satin-finish vellum.A precious copy, enriched by an important letter from Alain-Fournier, written a few months before the publication of Le Grand Meaulnes, in the spring of 1913: "L'Opinion, [. ...], found, I believe, very… Read More

Paris, Gallimard, [December 30, 1963], 1964. 1 vol. (185 x 117 mm) of 224 p. Brown morocco, arabesque mosaic decoration in two shades of red and two shades of green on a prominent light tan ground, title and dates in gilt lettering, gilt edges on booklet, green suede endpapers, folder, slipcase (Paul Bonet, 1964).
First edition. One of the first 15 copies on Japon Impérial (no. 15).
A perfect copy, in a strictly contemporary binding by Paul Bonet.
This is the first of Bonet's two bindings for this work, and the only one on this first deluxe paper.
Sartre's autobiographical account first appeared in two issues of Les Temps modernes (October and November 1963), before being published by Gallimard in April 1964. Despite Sartre's polemical image in French public opinion at the time, press tributes were unanimous, and the often inspired titles of the many articles that reviewed the book reflected the surprise and general emotion generated by Les Mots.
Without doubt his greatest and best book. And… Read More

S.l.n.d. [circa 1937]
6 pages en 6 feuillets (210 x 270 mm) à l'encre noire | in black ink, numbered in graphite and in another hand; folds of mailing paper.
A beautiful, long unpublished text on the desert, its oases and its people: a foretaste of Terre des hommes, which contains in its middle - and probably for the first time - three terms that sum up Saint-Exupéry's work itself: wind, sand and stars.
These words will be the subtitle of the exhibition organized by Gallimard in 2019, as well as that of the editions of the complete works published in 2021, in the Quarto collection:
"Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's work is made of wind, sand and stars: therein lies his profound humanity" (Alban Cerisier, in Présentation de l'exposition Gallimard).
These three words were originally the title of the novel for which these notes were written. In December 1938, at the printing works in Lagny-Sur-Marne, Saint-Exupéry changed the title Étoile par grand vent on the proofs to Terre des hommes, which his… Read More

S.l.n.d. [circa 1940]
12 pages in 13 sheets (210 x 270 mm) in black ink, numbered in graphite and in another hand; folds of mailing paper.
Unpublished film script, one of seven known drafts, of which only three are autographed.
Important manuscript, in which the author of The Little Prince creates gloomy characters on borrowed time in a down-and-dirty atmosphere - or rather, a bilge atmosphere - during a Rio-Lisbon crossing.
Like all young people of his generation, Saint-Exupéry was a film buff. His inclinations as a screenwriter were evident between 1931 and 1936, during which time he wrote seven screenplay projects and participated in the adaptation of some of his books for the cinema. Only three of these are autographs, the other four only exist as corrected typescripts. Close to an earlier screenplay entitled Igor, it tells a story that is the antithesis of the novelistic universe of The Little Prince, a dark story populated by hoodlums and prostitutes that begins in the underworld of Rio and… Read More

Paris, Gallimard, coll. La Méridienne, (mai) 1948.1 vol. (130 x 188 mm) de 374 p. et [1] f. In wrappers.
First edition of the French translation.One of the first 34 on vélin pur fil (no. 30).
George Orwell's 1984 is a myth that goes beyond literature, depicting a world of permanent control, where language itself is the site of conditioning. We follow the story of Winston Smith, in a London set in the dystopian universe of Oceania, a world where the past tends to dissolve in the eternal present of mass media. "Novlangue", "thought police", "Big Brother": the key concepts of 1984 have become essential references for understanding the totalitarian forces at work in contemporary societies, in a world where remote surveillance has become widespread, where digitization has given unprecedented impetus to the power of big companies and the arbitrariness of governments.
Orwell's masterpiece.A very nice copy in wrappers.
Paris, Gallimard, coll. La Méridienne, (mai) 1948.1 vol. (130 x 188 mm) de 374 p. et… Read More