La Reliure, Recherches historiques, techniques et biographiques sur la reliure francaise (De Luxe edition with separate folio)

(Paris): Editions Filigranes, 1995. Limited Edition. Folio. Fine. No. 122 of 220 (total edition 250), folio size, 319 pp., in French. Roger Devauchelle (1915-1993) was apprenticed at an early age to a bookbinder and eventually trained in all aspects of bookbinding; he opened his own bindery which, as a family business, is still in operation today as the Atelier Devauchelle. This volume reviews bookbinding in France, its history and techniques, and provides a biography of the better-known French bookbinders with many examples of their work.

This volume is the deluxe edition and comes with a separate folio of twenty examples of the "Rares et Curieuses" volumes in the Bibliotheque Nationale de France.

___DESCRIPTION: Individual signatures within a heavy white paper wrap, black lettering on the front wrap and spine, decoration in black on the rear wrap, the work is lavishly illustrated with both diagrams and photographs, in both colour and black and white, arranged by time period, with an index of binders at the back; folio size (13" by 9.25"), pagination: [1] 2-319, one of 220 copies of the deluxe edition (plus 30 copies not for sale, this number 122. Please note that the text is in French. Accompanying the volume is a separate folio with twenty examples of some of the treasures in the Library of France, each a glossy photograph (most in colour) mounted on heavy card stock with printed notes below the photograph, the folio of the same heavy white paper as the wraps for the volume with black lettering and ornament on the front wrap. Both the volume and the folio are housed in a slipcase covered with aubergine-coloured laid paper.

___CONDITION: Volume is fine, the individual signatures are clean and crisp although there are some very shallow creases to the gutter edge of several of the signatures, there is also some shallow creasing and a hint of dustiness on the first page of the first signature (blank page), else fine. The wrap enclosing the signatures is fine, clean and uncreased. The separate folio is also fine, clean and without wear. The slipcase is fine, strong and sturdy, clean overall with a small stray mark or two, without wear.

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