254 - RAMONDOT (Jacques, ill.) & GAUTIER (Théophile). Venice. Paris: Cent femmes amies des livres, 1962. Loose-leaf volume with a padded cover, in the publisher’s slipcase and case.

RAMONDOT (Jacques, ill.) & GAUTIER (Théophile). Venice. Paris: Cent femmes amies des livres, 1962. Loose-leaf volume with a padded cover, in the publisher’s slipcase and case. Limited edition of only 100 numbered copies, published to mark the 150th anniversary of Théophile Gautier’s birth. This copy, one of the numbered copies from a single print run on high-quality Rives vellum and featuring one of the original copper plates used for the edition, bears a handwritten “ex dono” inscription on the spine from Madame Charles-Claude Duval to Jacques Guignard. The text is illustrated with 20 original drypoint engravings by Jacques Ramondot (1928–1999). An archivist, paleographer, and erudite humanist, Jacques Guignard (1912–1980) devoted his career to the National Library, where he directed the printed works repository before heading the Arsenal Library from 1961 to 1980. Combining a deep knowledge of the history of the book with a rare artistic sensibility, he enriched and promoted the heritage collections while playing a pioneering role in the development of international bibliophilia. Scratches on the case; other minor flaws. Experts: Loup Axmann and Jean-Luc Boisseau