About the cover:

Full binding Dark blue maroquin leather, dynamic trompe-l'oeil design on both covers with dark green marquouin overlays of deforming diamonds edged with gold lines, smooth spine with gold title, gilt edges on three sides, hand-stitched endpapers, light blue, smoothed maroquin leather on board and flyleaf. Half-leather chemise lined with black suede, slipcase with leather-bound opening and cover of dark blue Ingres.

About the content:

André Gide: Poétique

Frontispiece André Gide portrait, lithograph by Dunoyer de Segonzac

Ex. No. 27 of 36 on China paper from a total of 1,000 copies

Éditions Ides et Calendes S.A., Neuchâtel and Paris 1947 André Gide was a French writer with a strictly Protestant upbringing who lived in Paris from 1869 to 1961. He was honoured with the Nobel Prize in 1947. He enjoyed travelling extensively, often together with other writers.

About the artist: P.-L. Martin came to Paris at the age of 14 and attended the École Estienne with Charles Chanat and Robert Bonfils. After working for various bookbinders, he ended up at A.-J. Gonon in 1936, where he came into contact with painters and writers, which helped him in his development of binding designs. In 1940 he set up his own studio and received beautiful binding commissions from the bibliophile Rodocanachi. His skills were also recognised by the Société de la Reliure Originale, which awarded him a prize in 1948. He later became a member himself.

His style is characterised by geometric constructive rigour. Later, constructed lettering was added as a design element. His team included the gilders Robert Paris and Guy Rapheël, as well as Constant Dreneau as bookbinder.