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8vo. (192 x 144 mm). pp. 125. Half-title with note 'Textes Choisis par Henri Parisot' verso, leaf with illustration by Prassinos verso as frontispiece, printed title with publisher's vignette, leaf with Breton's 'Notice', leaf with Eluard's 'Preface' and Prassinos' verse illustrated with 8 full-page illustrations by Prassinos herself, Eluard's 'Postface' with 'Du Même Auteur' verso, 'Table' and final leaf with justification and achevé d'imprimer. Original publisher's printed wrappers with titles in white against a decor of red and green abstract shapes, drawings loose in a separate green card portfolio, orange card portfolio and matching slipcase with applied painted paper décor. A unique copy of Gisèle Prassinos' 'Le Feu Maniaque' with original drawings and watercolours. From the edition of 150 numbered copies, with this one of 125 on pur fil du Marais; an original etching is called for that is not present here. This copy features all 8 of the original drawings for the illustrations in the book together with a further 10 original drawings intended for the book but unused in the published version; 3 additional watercolours are also included (1 in colour; 2 in black and white), all designs for the cover of the book, loose in an envelope addressed by Henri Parisot - who made the selections in the book - to Gisèle Prassinos. André Breton's 'Notice' is reprinted from 'L'Anthologie de l'Humour Noir' (1940); Paul Eluard's 'Préface' is reprinted from Gisèle Prassinos' collection 'La Sauterelle Arthritique' (1935). The precocious Prassinos was discovered by her elder brother, the painter Jean-Mario Prassinos, and introduced to André Breton (he writes the 'Note' here) who published the fourteen-year-old's writings in 'Minotaure'. Apparently unaware of Surrealism, Prassinos claimed to write 'automatically' and it is a measure of the effect she had on the Surrealists that the preface to her first collection, 'La Sauterelle Arthritique', was written by Paul Eluard, who for the present work provided the preface and postface. Seller Inventory # 47872
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