Collection of six books from Julia & Paul Child's Paris apartment library.
1950.
Rimbaud. Oeuvres (Paris: Mercure de France, 1950; Le Chanson de Roland (Paris: Piazza, 1947); Honore de Balzac (Paris: Bibliotheque Nationale, 1950); de Maupassant. Contes (Paris: Piazza, 1930). La Legende de St. Germain des Pres (Paris: Roulotte, 1950). Guide Commode de la Banlieue de Paris (Paris: Andre Leconte, 1950). Various sizes and editions. All signed by Julia Child. The final volume listed above is signed "Paul Child" but in Julia's hand, and the second to last is signed, "Paul & Julia Child, Paris, 1950", also in Julia's hand. The two were married in 1946 in Pennsylvania and moved to Paris in 1948. They lived on the left bank, at 81 Rue de l'Université, just off Boulevard St. Germain. These six simple and otherwise unremarkable books seem exactly the sort of thing a young couple in Paris might purchase while wandering the city. Now, titles like these are common fare for the bouquinistes, but most of these works were new publications during this time. La Legende de St. Germain des Pres, with photo illustrations of the youth, artists, literary lights, and nightlife of the Left Bank, forms a backdrop to our picture of Paul and Julia establishing themselves in Paris. All volumes in generally very good condition, with the exception of the Guide Commode, with some hinge wear and inking to the spine.
Price: $3,500.00