Description
DEMAISON (André).
The Book of Beasts Known as Wild.
Paris: Bernard Grasset, [1929]. — In-4, 220 x 169: 266 pp., (3 leaves, the last blank), printed cover. Fawn half-maroquin with corners, gilt fillets, ribbed spine, gilt headband, untrimmed, cover and spine preserved, edged slipcase (Alix).
First edition of this volume bringing together five stories: Ouara, the lioness; Kho-kho, the marabou; Nontap; Poupah, the elephant; Tân, the antelope.
The work forms part of the cycle *La Comédie animale*, a series exploring the interactions between humans and wild animals, inspired by the author’s experiences in French West Africa, where he worked as an animal collector for Antwerp Zoo and acquired a deep understanding of African languages and cultures.
The texts blend adventure stories, ethnographic observations and reflections on the wild, whilst also challenging colonial stereotypes about wildlife and local populations. In it, the author develops a humanistic and poetic vision of so-called ‘wild’ animals, breaking with the exotic or disparaging portrayals of the time.
One of 80 numbered copies on Lafuma pure-fibre vellum, reprinted in the in-4 tellière format. This copy, bearing the letter H, was presented to the politician Anatole de Monzie (1876–1947) and includes this autograph dedication signed on the half-title page:
To Mr Anatole de Monzie // to the Minister, // to my compatriot, //
to my colleague // as a token of respectful esteem // André Demaison
A copy enriched with two autograph letters from the author, mounted at the front, addressed to Anatole de Monzie:
- 28 October 1932 (2 pages, in-8): he agrees to ‘one or more lectures on African languages and literatures at the Sorbonne’ and, regarding a commission for *Diaeli*, insists that the publisher Piazza ‘deliver them with the new cover, the actual title of which is: *The Book of Black Wisdom*, which is far more ‘evocative’ than *Diaeli*”.
- November 1933 (2 pages, in-4): he announces, amongst other things, his trip to London and eleven English towns ‘in order to introduce the people and animals of our tropics’.
A very fine copy bound by Alix.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale
Claude Mozis Library – Black Africa and the African diaspora
Auction location
Auction time
10/21/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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