217 - Boris VIAN. *Manuel de Saint Germain des Prés*. Text presented and edited by Noël Arnaud; illustrations compiled by d’Déé. Paris, Éditions du Chêne, 1974.

Boris VIAN. *Manuel de Saint Germain des Prés*. Text presented and edited by Noël Arnaud; illustrations compiled by d’Déé. Paris, Éditions du Chêne, 1974. In-8, burgundy morocco leather, smooth spine, title in palladium, photograph of the author superimposed on the Church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, printed on canvas and mounted on the covers; cover and spine preserved (Mercher, 1978). First edition. A fine copy, bound at the time by Mercher. Included is a preparatory working manuscript with numerous cross-outs and corrections: a 7-page autograph manuscript on 5 folios in-4, in blue, green, or purple ink, with page numbers in red pencil. The *Manuel de Saint-Germain des Prés* was originally a “tourist” guide commissioned from Boris Vian by the publisher Toutain for the *Guides Verts* series in 1949. Announced in 1950, the guide was not ultimately published until 1974, posthumously, under the direction of Noël Arnaud by Éditions du Chêne. The first folio presents the guide’s general outline: Introduction (definition, location, access, etc.) A. The Legend: Saint-Germain-des-Prés at Night B. Reality: Saint-Germain-des-Prés by Day C. Highlights and Notable Figures D. (Tourist) Sites and Monuments E. Dosage and Instructions for Use. “If, despite everything you’ve just read, you still want to have fun in Saint-Germain.” The remaining pages, including two previously unpublished ones, are devoted to three “personalities” from Saint-Germain-des-Prés: Simone de Beauvoir, Frédéric Chauvelot, and Count Anne de Bieville: Physically, Mame de Beauvoir has the great merit of breaking the mold of the “woman of letters” with a sharp-featured face and a sad complexion. Young, lively, with a pleasantly husky voice, black hair, and Delft-blue eyes, a fair complexion, and flat shoes, she also loves travel and conversation; she’s interested in walking forty kilometers in a day and spending forty hours in deep discussion. […] As for Simone de Beauvoir, who earned her agrégation in philosophy in 1929, all sorts of nonsense have been said about her—just as they have about Sartre, for that matter. Personally, I don’t think their philosophy can be summed up in twenty lines. I’ll simply point out that the recent rise of Saint-Germain-des-Prés is largely due to their literary fame, and that if the local bar owners had a shred of honesty, Simone de Beauvoir and Sartre would get free drinks in all the bistros they helped make famous. Isn’t that right, Castor? It’s a good idea, isn’t it? Vian also paints a sympathetic portrait of his friend Frédéric Chauvelot, “one of the key figures in the basement bar movement, which he catalyzed with great skill and personal charm [Chauvelot managed several iconic venues such as the Tabou and the Club Saint-Germain],” concluding this portrait as follows: “He doesn’t like it at all when people talk about him. I have no reason to make him suffer, despite my well-known sadism. So I’ll stop here.” The two pages on Count Anne de Bieville are previously unpublished: In them, Vian describes this prominent figure of Saint-Germain-des-Prés—a somewhat dilettante enthusiast, laden with degrees, author of a study on Patrice de La Tour du Pin, an expert at canasta, a collector of canes, and someone who sometimes complained about the neighborhood becoming overrun. “One can still,” protests Anne de Biéville, “go into a public urinal to take a piss and to the Reine Blanche to have a drink!!”