MISHIMA (Yukio).

The Golden Pavilion. Paris, Gallimard, 1961. In-8, red box, marbled paper rectangle inlaid on the boards, folded over the lining and set with a gilt scroll, featuring a black lacquer pyramid in relief on the first board and, on the second, the author's name in kanji cold-stamped on five mosaic black box squares, smooth mute spine, edge-to-edge lining and black box endpapers, gilt edges, cover and spine, black half-box slipcase titled vertically with a transparent window open on the first board (Devauchelle). First edition of the first French translation, established and prefaced by Marc Mécréant. One of 41 copies on vellum pur fil, the only large paper. Published in Japanese in 1956, The Golden Pavilion is one of Mishima's major masterpieces, inspired by a real event that took place in 1950 in Kyoto: the burning of the Golden Pavilion temple by a young Buddhist monk, whom the author made the narrator of his novel. Sumptuous triple binding by Devauchelle evoking the art of Japanese lacquer. The original title of the work (金閣寺) appears, cold-stamped, on both sides of the first board; as does the author's name (三島 由紀夫), on the second board.