About the cover:

Full-grain binding Grey-brown calf with rich, all-over decoration on the front cover and identical on the back cover, each consisting of two flowers with fawn leather overlay, supplemented with intertwined bands of black leather overlays, partly reaching onto the spine, including a large number of slightly wavy fine gold and palladium lines, without spine title, three-sided, gilt edges, hand-stitched endpapers, bord-à-bord mirror and flyleaf of dark brown calf, chemise with grey-brown calf spine and splint, gold paper cover, partly covered with olive green, lined with light grey suede, spine with gilt title, slipcase with leather-lined opening and covered with gold paper.

About the content:

André Gide: Le Traité du Narcisse

With facsimile autograph from André Gide to Maurice Barrès

Ex. No. 8 on paper vergé from Holland from a total of 12 copies

Heraldic ex-libris Jacobi Sabatier The design of the cover corresponds to a copperplate engraving by Pierre Louÿs, Librairie de l'Art Indépendant, Paris 1891

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.