Alain-Fournier (pseudonym of Henri-Alban Fournier, 1886-1914) - photo 1
Alain-Fournier (pseudonym of Henri-Alban Fournier, 1886-1914) - photo 2
Alain-Fournier (pseudonym of Henri-Alban Fournier, 1886-1914) - photo 3

Alain-Fournier (pseudonym of Henri-Alban Fournier, 1886-1914)

Starting price
£ 100
Auction dateClassic
15.12.2023 11:00UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1108867
Lot 68 | Alain-Fournier (pseudonym of Henri-Alban Fournier, 1886-1914)
Alain-Fournier (pseudonym of Henri-Alban Fournier, 1886-1914)
Le Grand Meaulnes. Paris: Émile-Paul Frères, 1913.
[With, tipped in:] – autograph letter signed (‘H Alain-Fournier’) to [Georges Le Cardonnel] ('Cher ami'), n.p., 24 June 1913. One page, 175 x 135mm.

12mo (185 x 115mm). Printed on green paper, imprint on p.366 dated September 1913 (p.132 lightly marked). Dark brown crushed morocco, sides and compartments bordered with gilt fillets and green morocco inlays, all edges gilt, original pale green printed wrappers bound in; housed in custom slipcase by Edmond Klein. Provenance: René Gaffé (full-page bookplate bound in) - Charles Hayoit (leather label on endpaper, sale Sotheby's, Paris, 30 November-1 December 2001, lot 928) – Sotheby’s, Paris, 15 May 2012, lot 110.

First edition in book form of one of the finest French novels of the century, this being one of just 6 (or possibly 10) copies printed on green paper for the author. Accompanied by an autograph letter to literary critic Georges Le Cardonnel (1872-1941) announcing to him the novel’s forthcoming publication in the Nouvelle Revue Française, where it was serialised from July to November 1913.

The only novel by Alain-Fournier, who was killed aged 27 in the first month of World War I, Le Grand Meaulnes is the partly autobiographical tale of adolescence and lost love which has come to be regarded as one of France’s favourite literary works. It has inspired writers including Julian Barnes and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, is a likely influence on Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and is the only book carried by Sal Paradise on his travels in Jack Kerouac's On the Road. In 1999, it placed 9th in Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century.

The publisher Emile-Paul sets the number of copies on green paper at 10 in a letter of October 10, 1925 to the bookseller Raoul Simonson (a copy of which is tipped onto a preliminary leaf), and at just 6 in a letter of February 6, 1934 to the bookseller Auguste Blaizot.

[Sold with:] – La Femme empoisonnée. [The Hague:] A.A.M. Stols & Pierre Seghers, 1944. First edition, no. 18 of 50 copies marked with roman numerals from a total edition of 65. Contemporary blue morocco by P. L. Martin, boards with single gilt fillet border enclosing vellum panels, the upper cover and spine lettered in gilt, original blue printed wrappers bound in. Provenance: Raoul Simonson (label on endpaper) – Charles Hayoit (leather label on endpaper, sale Sotheby's, Paris, 30 November-1 December 2001, lot 929) – Sotheby’s, Paris, 15 May 2012, lot 110.
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
09.12.2023 12:00 – 17:00
10.12.2023 12:00 – 17:00
11.12.2023 09:00 – 20:00
12.12.2023 09:00 – 17:00
13.12.2023 09:00 – 17:00
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

More from Creator

ALAIN-FOURNIER, Henri-Alban Fournier, dit (1886-1914)
ALAIN-FOURNIER, Henri-Alban Fournier, dit (1886-1914)
€1 200
ALAIN-FOURNIER, Henri-Alban Fournier, dit (1886-1914)
ALAIN-FOURNIER, Henri-Alban Fournier, dit (1886-1914)
€100
Alain-Fournier (pseudonym of Henri-Alban Fournier, 1886-1914)
Alain-Fournier (pseudonym of Henri-Alban Fournier, 1886-1914)
£100
FOURNIER (XIX-XX)
FOURNIER (XIX-XX) "Fruits arranged on table".
€400
Alain-Fournier (pseudonym of Henri-Alban Fournier, 1886-1914)
Alain-Fournier (pseudonym of Henri-Alban Fournier, 1886-1914)
£100
Alain-Fournier (pseudonym of Henri-Alban Fournier, 1886-1914) – Jean-Pierre Rémon (b.1928, illustrator)
Alain-Fournier (pseudonym of Henri-Alban Fournier, 1886-1914) – Jean-Pierre Rémon (b.1928, illustrator)
£100
Alain-Fournier (pseudonym of Henri-Alban Fournier, 1886-1914)
Alain-Fournier (pseudonym of Henri-Alban Fournier, 1886-1914)
£100

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.