Éditions originales et envois: first editions and large-paper copies

First edition, limited print run, large paper

For French literature of the 19th and 20th centuries, the first edition (E.O. in catalogues) is the first print run by the first publisher. Many texts first appeared in journals: these are known as pre-original editions. A portion of the print run, produced on finer paper than the standard stock, forms the limited print run: Imperial Japan, Van Gelder Holland, Arches vellum, Lafuma pure linen, Madagascar, alfa, depending on the publisher and period. These copies are sometimes numbered and occasionally inscribed; a few, marked as not for trade, were reserved for the author and the publisher. The collation of the print run, printed at the beginning or end of the volume, lists them.

Signed presentation copy

The presentation copy is the author’s handwritten dedication to a named individual, signed and sometimes dated. Its value depends on the author, the recipient (a fellow writer, a critic, a close friend), the length of the text, and its interest. A presentation to an unknown person remains a mark of authenticity and warmth; a dedication to a famous writer turns the copy into a document of literary history. We transcribe presentation copies in our records and photograph them. Simple signatures and third-party ex-dono inscriptions are described as such.

How to verify a first edition

First, examine the title page and the colophon: publisher’s name, date, absence of any reprint notice. Some 20th-century publishers printed fictitious edition notices on part of the original run (e.g., “third edition”); only the collation of the print run or comparison with bibliographies can resolve such cases. Standard reference works include Talvart and Place, Vicaire for the 19th century, Carteret and Clouzot for modern literature. In each record, we state the basis for our identification and note any doubtful cases.

Buying and conservation advice

A copy on large paper should, as far as possible, remain uncut or untrimmed, in its original wrappers, and protected within a chemise and slipcase; a modern binding of quality, with covers and spine retained, is acceptable if margins are preserved. Avoid light, which yellows covers within months, and humidity, which spots the paper. Between two copies, prefer the one with the freshest covers: this is the criterion that now makes the clearest difference. Our stock includes several dozen copies meeting these criteria, regularly renewed.

To go further

The Literature and Original Editions section gathers all our first editions. The pages for Marcel Proust, André Gide, Paul Valéry, Apollinaire, André Breton and Henry de Montherlant feature authors whose originals and large-paper copies are in high demand. Our guide How to Value an Antique Book and the feature Rare and Precious Books complement this page.