Europa
One of 3,400 copies (including 100 hors commerce) printed on bouffant alfa Calypso paper, this copy no. 2252.
Original publisher's wraparound band preserved.
The eighth Romain Gary title published in this series.
The volumes in the “Collection Soleil” were bound in full cloth of various colors (pink, yellow, orange, blue, green…), designed by Massin. The series drew both on backlist titles and on books just recently published. It was launched in 1957 to compete with the Club du meilleur livre (a joint subsidiary of Gallimard and Hachette): Claude Gallimard objected to Hachette profiting from the exploitation of his backlist in bound-book form. Print runs were limited to a few thousand copies, with this launch slogan: “Le soleil, dit Fontenelle, est l’orgueil des planètes. Les livres de la collection ‘Soleil’, tous au format in-8° soleil, seront l’orgueil de votre bibliothèque.”
Thirteen titles by Romain Gary were included in the series: Lady L., La Promesse de l’aube, Les Mangeurs d’étoiles, La Danse de Gengis Cohn, La Tête coupable, Adieu Gary Cooper, Chien blanc, Europa, Les Enchanteurs, Au-delà de cette limite…, Clair de femme, Charge d’âme and Les Clowns lyriques.
He is surpassed only by Simone de Beauvoir (14 titles), Jean Giono (16) and Henry de Montherlant (22!).