Fragment
Paris, Lemerre, (April 27) 1912.
1 vol. (105 x 160 mm) of 2, [2], VII, 9 p. [1] and 2 f. Flexible ocher morocco binding in nubuck style, gilt title on front cover, sand-colored velvet doublures and endleaves, gilt edges, original wrappers and spine preserved, chemise and matching edged slipcase (binding signed Renaud Vernier, 2003).
First edition. Portrait of the author as frontispiece, photograph by Mélandri.
One of 10 copies on Hollande, justified and signed by the publisher.
One of 10 copies on Hollande, justified and signed by the publisher.
The scene takes place in Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte, on a grey day in December: two young girls, dressed for a ball, lean out of a window, moved to see the funeral procession of a girl their own age pass by. In this Fragment, written when he was very young, Barbey d’Aurevilly already reveals the man he would remain until his last hour, marked by the melancholy inspired in him by the sorrows and realities of life. Barbey intended it as a preface to his Joseph Delorme, which never appeared.
Rare on deluxe paper.
Publisher’s insert preserved.
An exquisite flexible binding by Renaud Vernier, made for Joël Dupont, the former curator of the Musée Barbey d’Aurevilly in Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte.
#30032
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