1 / 7

265 - [CASSOU (Jean)] [ARAGON (Louis)].
See original version (French)

Estimate €400 - €600

Description

[CASSOU (Jean)] [ARAGON (Louis)]. NOIR (Jean). 33 sonnets composed in secret, presented by François La Colère. Paris, Éditions de Minuit, 15 May 1944 [printed]. A square in-12 volume, bound in solid anthracite morocco with a mosaic decoration on the back extending across the covers and spine, depicting barbed wire; covers and spine preserved. Untrimmed. First edition of one of the iconic poetry collections of the Resistance’s underground literature, composed by Jean Cassou under the pseudonym Jean Noir whilst imprisoned by the Vichy regime. Limited edition of 140 numbered copies, all printed on Rives vellum; this is no. 84. The book was secretly printed in Paris on 15 May 1944, a few weeks before the Liberation. Jean Cassou was arrested in Toulouse in December 1941 for his activities in the Resistance. Deprived of paper and any means of writing, having, in his own words, ‘only the night for ink, and memory for paper’, he composed these 33 sonnets mentally during his nights in captivity, learning them by heart before he was able to transcribe them. The lengthy preface by Louis Aragon, published under the pseudonym François La Colère, takes up nearly half the volume. Vignes, Bibliographie des Éditions de Minuit, no. 19. A superb copy in a mosaic binding directly inspired by Cassou’s imprisonment and the clandestine genesis of the collection.

See original version (French)

Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.

About the sale Antique and modern books: catalogued sale

Auction location

Auction time 11/14/2026 at 10:30 AM

Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House

265 - [CASSOU (Jean)] [ARAGON (Louis)]. See original version (French)

265 - [CASSOU (Jean)] [ARAGON (Louis)].
See original version (French)