Valery Larbaud, "forgotten of the 20th century"

Larbaud Valery (1881-1957), only son of a pharmacist who owns the sources of Vichy Saint-Yorre, lost his father at age 8 and is raised by his mother then his aunt. Bachelor of Letters he published anonymously in 1908 a first book, Poèmes par un riche amateur. Leading a dandy life despite his fragile health, he travelled a lot, nourishing his culture. Fermina Marquez, his first novel, is published in 1911. Renowned translator, he introduced in France authors as James Joyce, William Faulkner. In Ce Vice impuni la lecture - Domaine Anglais, famous essay published in 1925, Valery Larbaud explained his consuming passion for books. He leaned on his experience of a compulsive but also critical reader to describe the steps that lead to the status of "fine scholar". A magazine asked him what his favorite English book was. In response, Valery Larbaud sent a photograph of the English department of his personal library with the comment : "Certainly I do not like them all equally, but there is not one I want to get separated. I assume that this room is British territory in the same manner as a consulate." In 1935, stricken by a cerebral hemorrhage, Valery Larbaud became hemiplegic and aphasic. He was forced in 1948 to sell his property and ceded his library of fifteen thousand volumes to the town of Vichy.

(Source : L'Express)

Currently, the librairie Loliée offers :

• Poèmes pour un riche Amateur ou Œuvres françaises de M. Barnabooth. Précédés d'une introduction biographique. Paris, Léon Vanier, 1908, in-12, covers, full red Levant binding by Alix, case. First edition, no deluxe printings. This copy with a dedication to H. Buriol.
• Enfantines. Paris, N.R.F., 1918, small in-4, covers. First edition. One of the 70 copies reset on Lafuma paper.
• Amants, heureux amants. Paris, N.R.F., 1923, in-4, semi-industrial binding called "Revorim" by J. de Gonet. First edition. One of the 108 first copies in "in-quarto tellière" format on Lafuma Navarre vellum paper.
• Les Poésies de A. O. Barnabooth. Paris, Gallimard, 1923, in-12. First separated edition of these poems. Limited to 100 copies on Lafuma Navarre vellum paper.
• Ce Vice impuni, la lecture…. Domaine anglais. Paris, Albert Messein, collection « La Phalange », 1925, in-12, covers, red half Levant binding by P.L. Martin. First edition. Copy on vellum paper.
• Paul Valéry et la Méditerranée. Paris, Stols, 1926, booklet in-8, covers. First edition. One of the 300 first copies on Holland paper.

Correspondence :

• Larbaud (Valery) – Stols (A.A.M.). Correspondance 1925-1951. Paris, Éditions des Cendres, 1986, 2 volumes in-8, covers, publisher's case. First edition. One of the 30 first copies on Ingres Arches paper.

Illustrated editions :

• Beauté, mon beau souci… Illustré de 37 gravures par Laboureur. Paris, NRF, 1920, in-8, illustrated green covers. First edition limited to 412 copies on Lafuma-Navarre paper, and illustrated with 37 original engravings by Laboureur. These copy contains an original colored pencil drawing iand a dedication to J. E. M. Manuel.
• Enfantines. Illustrés par Jeanne ROSOY, Germaine LABAYE, HALICKA, Hermine DAVID. Paris, Gallimard, 1926, 4 volumes in-8, illustrated hard covers in "chromotypographie", case. First illustrated edition with 24 original engravings by Jeanne Rosoy (volume 1), Germaine Labaye (volume 2), Halicka (volume 3) and Hermine David (volume 4). One of the 300 numbered copies on Holland paper.
• Caderno. Orné de huit pointes sèches, hors-texte, gravées par Mily Possoz. Paris, Au Sans Pareil, 1927, petit in-8, covers. First edition with 8 original engravings by Mily Possoz. Copy on vellum paper.
• Le Palais de Cristal. Montpellier, Fata Morgana, 2002, petit in-12, covers. Édition illustrated with 11 original calligraphies by Jean Cortot. Limited to 500 copies. On of the 30 first copies including a hand emphasized calligraphy by Jean Cortot, dated and signed.

Saint-Denys and the first theories on dreams

Marie-Jean-Léon Le Coq, Baron d'Hervey de Juchereau, Marquis de Saint-Denys (1822 – 1892), sinologist, published anonymously in 1867 a singular book : Les Rêves et les moyens de les diriger (Dreams and how to direct them). Avant-garde, the Marquis de Saint-Denys described dreams in which the dreamer is conscious of dreaming and he suggested techniques to control these dreams. At the age of 13 years, the author began to keep a diary. He noted deficiencies in the conduct of his dreams. After six months of monitoring, he managed to fill holes in his dreamlike memory. For him, images of our dreams come from snapshots of memories, memory functioning as a camera. The spirit then recombines, during sleep, these snapshot souvenirs. In practice, the Marquis de Saint-Denys managed to control his "lucid"dreams.
This book is one of the first serious research on the subject. Marcel Proust will use it to write certain portions of A la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time). In 1899, the work of Saint-Denys will be cited by Sigmund Freud in his Intepretation of dreams. The book will also influence the surrealist André Breton, who names the Marquis de Saint-Denys in the first pages of Les Vases communicants (The Communicating Vessels).

Currently, the librairie Loliée offers :

• St-Denys (Marie-Jean-Léon Le Coq, baron d'Hervey de Juchereau, Marquis de). Les Rêves et les Moyens de les diriger. Observations pratiques. Paris, Amyot Éditeur, 1867, in-8, Bradel binding in cream half-vellum (Paul Vié). First edition. Frontispiece in colours. From the library of the french writer Anatole France with a hand-written note.