61 - Paul ÉLUARD. *Médieuses*. Paris, G. Dorfinant Press, June 21, 1939.

Paul ÉLUARD. *Médieuses*. Paris, G. Dorfinant Press, June 21, 1939. Large folio, loose-leaf, bound cover, blue half-cloth slipcase, and publisher’s case. Rare first edition: printed entirely in lithography, with the text autographed by Paul Éluard and 16 large plates by Valentine Hugo. A unique print run of 12 copies on Arches paper; a unnumbered copy marked in Paul Éluard’s hand as belonging to “our friend Théo Léger.” The colophon is signed by Paul Éluard and Valentine Hugo, as it should be. It bears the handwritten note in pencil at the bottom: “1st proof, ½ glue.” A Belgian poet, Théo Léger was a close friend of Paul Éluard. His name has been erased but remains legible, likely on the occasion of the copy’s sale. Included is an original drypoint signed by Valentine Hugo, a first-state proof inscribed at the bottom by the artist: “First design for *Médieuses* by Paul Éluard—drypoint—before the lithographs.” A beautiful full-margin proof, 33.2 x 25.2 cm, 19.5 x 15.1 cm within the plate. The illustrated book was reissued by Gallimard in 1944 in a smaller format. There are pinholes on the cover.