197 - DAUDET (Alphonse), 1840–1897.

DAUDET (Alphonse), 1840–1897. Handwritten letter “Alph. Daudet,” no place, no date, 1 p., in-12 format on paper with a black border, to Antonin Périvier (literary editor of the newspaper *Le Figaro*): “I see from the announcement of the supplement that there will be no publicity for our book and that Bonnetain, whom you sent the other day, will have interviewed me in vain. I am writing to ask you to tell me quite frankly, quite frankly as a friend, the reason for this silence and this coldness. A book priced at 10 francs, published before the holiday gift-giving season, needs support, and I would never have been so presumptuous as to embark on this venture without the backing of *Le Figaro*, especially since my publishers seem to me to lack a bit of experience [...]"" Enclosed is a handwritten calling card signed “A. Daudet” with the following note: “This is where we stand with orders, and there isn’t a single copy left at Lahure. We’ll be ready in ten days at the earliest. Please, with this new launch, let’s not get caught off guard again.” This is certainly an interesting correspondence relating to the commercial launch of “Port-Tarascon,” published in late 1890, richly illustrated, a collaboration between Le Figaro, Dentu, and the publisher of illustrated works Albert Guillaume, and sold at the relatively high price of 10 francs. Daudet is surprised that *Le Figaro*, which co-published the work, is not putting its advertising clout to work for the publication’s launch, and in his letter he warns Périvier against another poorly coordinated launch for the second release.