Henry de Montherlant: Original Editions and Early Printings

Henry de Montherlant in a few words

Born in Paris, wounded during the Great War, Montherlant first gained recognition with Le Songe, Les Olympiques and Les Bestiaires, a novel about bullfighting. Les Célibataires received the Grand Prix de littérature from the Académie française; the cycle of Les Jeunes Filles enjoyed considerable success. From the war years onward, he turned to theatre: La Reine morte, Le Maître de Santiago, Port-Royal, Le Cardinal d'Espagne, La Ville dont le prince est un enfant. He returned to the novel with Le Chaos et la Nuit, Les Garçons and Un assassin est mon maître. La Rose de sable, a novel about colonial Morocco long withheld by the author, was only published in full late in his career. Elected to the Académie française, he took his own life in Paris.

What you will find with us

Our collection includes original editions of Montherlant published by Grasset and Gallimard, copies from standard print runs as well as numbered copies on vellum, early editions of his plays, essays and notebooks, volumes from the Bibliothèque de la Pléiade series and a few illustrated editions. The grid above shows the titles currently available, from the most recently acquired to the oldest. La Rose de sable, often requested, appears here when we have a copy in stock.

Identifying a fine edition of Montherlant

Original editions of Montherlant feature detailed limitation statements: copies on Japanese paper, Dutch paper, pure-fil vellum or alfa, numbered, sometimes accompanied by non-commercial copies. At both Grasset and Gallimard, some standard print runs bear a fictitious edition statement; the colophon and limitation statement will clarify the matter. The author was a prolific dedicatee: a dedication, often restrained, is common and valued. Illustrated editions of his texts, printed in small numbers, should be judged on the presence of plates and the condition of the dust-jacket.

Buying and conservation advice

Montherlant’s paperbacks are sturdy, but their cream or white covers tend to soil and yellow; an uncut copy on large paper deserves a slipcase and a protective jacket. If you are building a set, the order of publication and the consistency of formats contribute to the overall appearance. Each listing specifies the paper, the copy number and the presence of a dedication; if you have any doubt about an edition statement, ask us for photographs of the limitation statement and the colophon.

To go further

The original editions from the 20th century are gathered in the Literature and Original Editions section; our article Original Editions and Presentation Copies explains printing justifications and large-paper issues. The pages for André Gide, Paul Valéry and Maurice Barrès, whom Montherlant admired in his youth, feature his predecessors. The most significant pieces in the collection are listed under Rare and Precious Books.