Pierre Louÿs, The Songs Of Bilitis, Original Edition 1895

Librairie de l'art indépendant Paris 1895 (completed printing December 3, 1894) In-8, 134 p. Beautiful binding of time in half-leather, flat and guards paper jaspé, smooth back with title and date gilded iron, golden head. Paper cover preserved. Fresh interior, a few rare rednesses. One of 480 ex. on wove paper. RARE ORIGINAL EDITION of this literary mystification due to the young Pierre Louÿs (born in 1870), supposedly translator of the erotic works of a poetess of the contemporary Greek antiquity of Sappho. The book is dedicated to André Gide. The initials M. b. A., under the dedication, recall the memory of the young Mériem ben Atala who initiated Gide to the pleasures of pleasure in Biskra, in January 1894 (see André Gide, If the grain does not die). Very nice edition due to the talents of Edmond Bailly, patron of the famous Librairie de l'art indépendant, active from 1888 to 1916. Bailly published among the greatest of his time: Gide, Regnier, Mallarmé, Claudel, Wilde. .. "Edmond Bailly, who knew how to do many things, was a scholar" maker "of books.That came out of his hands were established in a traditional architecture.How he edified the first editions, much sought after today , "Songs of Bylitis" and "Poetry of Meleager" by Pierre Louÿs, "Poems old and novel" by Henri de Regnier. " (Victor Michelet).