Les Chansons de Bilitis.

Loüys, Pierre

Barbier, Georges (illus.)

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Paris: Pierre Corrand, 1922. Quarto. (xxiv), (178), (viii)pp. From an edition of 133 copies, this is one of 125 printed on paper. With forty-two illustrations by Barbier, engraved on wood and colored by Schmied. Signed by Barbier, and with Schmied's chop mark. Originally published in 1894, these prose-poems, which Loüys claimed to be the work of a neo-Sapphic ancient poet, were composed by Loüys himself. Work on this edition began in 1914 but was halted because of the death of the publisher, Corrand, then by the outbreak of World War I. The book was completed in 1922 by Corrand's widow. Barbier began his career as an illustrator in 1911; this book is considered his best early work. Indeed, with the exquisite pochoir coloring by Schmied, including several that have been heightened with metallic colors, this book is a visual feast and certainly ranks as an Art Deco high-spot. Loose, as issued, in publisher's printed wrappers. Apart from a light spot to upper cover, this is a remarkably fine copy of a book that has only appeared once at auction in the last twenty years. (Item ID: 23764)