About the cover:

Full-grain binding Black marocco leather, smooth spine, geometric decoration identical on both covers with many blind-stamped lines converging to the centre, light leather overlays structured with smooth and dotted gold lines in the form of large angles; spine title in gold; natural edge, hand-stitched endpapers, wide inner edges with blind and gold lines; triple endpapers: Mirror and flyleaf dark blue moiré silk with dark blue gold-speckled paper; dark paper chemise and slipcase.

About the content:

Pierre Louÿs: Contes Antiques

32 coloured copperplate prints by Sylvain Sauvage with the assistance of D.-A. Maillart Ex. No. 138 of 237

Éditions du bois sacré, Paris 1929 This large-format work with engravings by Sylvain Sauvage, published here for the first time, is the most representative of his Art Deco period. In these Contes Antiques, a very special woman appears, a slave, a wild Venus and natural beauty with black hair and powerful breasts and strong muscles, thanks to whom Louÿs can detach himself from his Bilitis songs.

About the artist: Jacques Anthoine-Legrain is the stepson of the legendary Pierre Legrain, who gave new impetus to the art of bookbinding at the beginning of the 20th century. After Pierre Legrain’s death in 1929, Jacques Anthoine returned to Paris and took over his stepfather’s workshop. His bindings are often compared to those of Legrain due to the affixed name, but it is a comparison he needn’t fear. True to the motto “A decor must reflect the text’s soul as much as possible!”, he designed independent as well as magnificent bindings. The careful choice of materials and finely colour-coordinated leather onlays are the hallmarks of his brilliant art and craftsmanship, which he practised until around 1950. He was one of the six outstanding binding artists who founded the Société de la Reliure Originale in 1946, and he regularly participated in their exhibitions.