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drawing of a man with a spear and shield in his handa drawing of a pelican standing in the wateran image of a drawing of a lion standing on top of a rockpencil drawing of an elephant with tusks in a square framea picture of a bird with a long beaka drawing of a bird that is standing in the grassdrawing of a rhino head in a black and white photoa drawing of a bird that is flying in the airdrawing of an antelope standing on a rock in a foresta drawing of an orange circle in the middle of the watera drawing of an elephant that is standing next to a treean image of a drawing of a cat with a cigarette in its mouthan open book with a red and green cover on it
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167 - MARAN (René) – JOUVE (Paul).
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Estimate €2,000 - €3,000
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Description
MARAN (René) – JOUVE (Paul). The Book of the Bush. Paris: Les bibliophiles de l’Automobile-Club de France, 1937. — In-4, 321 x 260: (4 leaves, first 2 blank), 200 pp., (8 leaves, last 7 blank), illustrated cover. Dark green morocco leather, covers and spine adorned with a continuous design comprising, on the covers, curved bands formed of two double gilt fillets and straight bands of burgundy morocco leather, arranged in a pointed pattern, all intersecting on the spine, plain spine, burgundy box linings and endpapers decorated with vertical blind-stamped bands and a scattering of small gilded lozenges, edges gilt on endpapers, cover and spine preserved, slipcase with spine and flaps in dark green morocco, case (Georges Cretté). A remarkable illustrated edition featuring 39 compositions by the painter and illustrator Paul JOUVE (1878–1973), wood-engraved by Pierre Bouchet, including one on the cover, 10 full-page illustrations and 28 within the text. René Maran’s *Le Livre de la Brousse* (1934) forms part of his ‘African Bush Cycle’ and is a naturalist novel that describes, without judgement, the Banda country, its inhabitants and its wildlife. Through the journey of Kossi, a young Banda warrior, the work functions as a coming-of-age novel: the reader discovers the traditions, customs and landscapes of the Oubangui-Chari, where Black people are portrayed in harmony with nature, living according to well-established social norms, far removed from colonial stereotypes. The book’s originality lies in its innovative style: third-person narration (by a heterodiegetic narrator) alternates with animal perspectives (such as that of Doppélé, the scavenger), which, given a voice, reveal aspects of local life. Maran also incorporates elements of African oral tradition – words in the Banda language (Bokorro, Bamara), songs, lullabies, sayings and proverbs – as well as precise descriptions of the geographical setting (the bush, the River Tomi) and cultural practices (education, breastfeeding, diet). Regarded as a masterpiece, this novel lays the foundations for a new African literary aesthetic, blending naturalist realism with oral tradition, whilst offering a fresh and respectful portrayal of African societies. (Source: *Le Livre de la brousse* (1934) or the beginnings of a new aesthetic in the French-language African novel by Ndèye Astou GUEYE, Faculty of Educational and Training Sciences and Technologies, Cheikh Anta Diop University.) Limited edition of 122 numbered copies on Arches vellum. Copy no. 29, specially printed for Pierre-Gaston Guérin, featuring a double set of illustrations on Japanese paper (first state and final state), as well as 11 original colour-enhanced drawings, including 3 large ones, which were used to illustrate the book. These are the drawings for the illustrations on pages 71, 87, 89, 97, 105, 127, 151, 159, 183, 188 and 195. A copy in a superb triple binding by Georges Cretté. At the time of the sale of Pierre Guérin’s library in 1938, the copy was not yet bound. Damaged slipcase. Provenance: Pierre Guérin, by subscription (I, 1938, no. 174).
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About the sale Claude Mozis Library – Black Africa and the African diaspora
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Auction time 10/21/2026 at 2:00 PM
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