Petite Cosmogonie Portative. Lithographies Originales d'Andre Marchand by Queneau, Raymond - 1954

Paris: Les Francs - Bibliophiles, 1954. Special Limited Edition. Softcover. Very Good. 4to 11" - 13" tall. Andre Marchand. A gob-smackingly pretty and interesting-looking, tightly bound, internally clean copy, with unbruised tips, neat and tidy paste-downs; not ex-library, with neither highlighting nor underlining copies available on-line. Composed of a portfolio that has illustrated gray paper over boards, front and rear, with an inner chemise laid in. Scarce in the trade, there being only a few additional copies available on-line at this writing in this condition (Fine) and state (Signed Limited Edition of only 170 copies, this being No. 163). Moreover, this is one of only 28 copies that ever contained the separate suite of lithographs pressed onto Malacca Blanc paper (see more below). Signed in the colophon by the artist, Andre Marchand, presented attractively in short quarto format, with 151 pp., plus 36 full-page black-and-white lithographs, with 27 black-and-white lithographs in the text and another six green decorated initials. Separate suite presents together. Chemises for the main book and the contained images are laid within a stiff portfolio that is then housed in an illustrated slip-case in about Near Fine condition. The suite of plates have lithographs by the artist on front and back covers of the chemise. The separate suit of plates is housed in a chemise which is housed in a portfolio, and coated by stiff Mylar sleeve. French language text. From the colophon, "Ce Livre, Illustre de 71 Lithographies Originales et Realise Sous la Direction de H.-J. Donon-Maigret et de E. Simon, a Ete Acheve D'imprimer Le 26 Aout 1954, Sur Les Presses De Fequet Et Baudier Pour La Typographie Et Sur elles De E. Et J. Desjobert Pour Les Lithographies, A 170 Exemplaires Sur Papier Pur Chiffon D'Arches. Il ete Tire A Part 38 Suites Completes, Dont 10 Sur Lithographiques Ont Ete Effacees Apres Tirage. Tous Les Exemplaires Ont Ete Signes Par L'Artiste." The separate suite measures 9 1/2" x 11 1/2" in size, is bound by illustrated two-tone gray and teal green paper over boards, a bit abraded to the joints, but now covered by stiff Mylar jacket, the inner chemise being illustrated in the same fashion, on paper, as the outer covers of both portfolio and suite. The original penciled lithographs are laid in to a wing folder. Member, I.O.B.A., C.B.A., and adherent to the highest ethical standards. Additional postage may be required for oversize or especially heavy volumes, and for sets.