About the cover:

Full-grain binding Antracite-black goatskin, decoration on front and back cover, partly also running across spine, of flame-shaped deep embossed fields and narrow silver lines, supplemented with small gold triangles and blind small squares, gold line on standing and inner edges, barbed gilt edges on three sides, hand-stitched endpapers, mirror and flyleaf of dark coloured paper, slipcase with leather-lined opening, covered with the same coloured paper, lined with velour paper.

About the content:

Arthur Rimbaud: Choix de Poésies

With 28 drypoint etchings (two each) by Hermine David

Personal copy for Mme Creuzevault from a total of 190 copies on chiffon d'Auvergne with a suite of three originals bound in the front: 2 pencil drawings and a lavis (monochrome with diluted ink)

Édition d'Omphale, Paris 1946

About the artist: Roger Devauchelle is a bookbinder and binding historian. Born an orphan, he had to leave school at the age of twelve in order to earn his own living. His passion for drawing and books led him to learn bookbinding in Amiens.

During his military service in Paris, he met Georges Lahaye, who inspired him to take up the art of bookbinding. He was later wounded and taken prisoner. He used the time in prison to perfect his training with the help of a fellow prisoner. He then fled to the Landes and opened his first studio.

Two years later, he moved to Paris. In order to perfect his techniques and capture the details, he dismantled high-quality bindings and expanded his skills to include hand-gilding and gilding, taking advice from the best experts. Thanks to his uncompromising pursuit of perfection, he eventually became "Meilleur ouvrier de France" for binding, gilding and and gold trim.