46 - [BIBLIOPHILIA] RAHIR, Édouard. Rahir Alphabetical Directory A–Z.

[BIBLIOPHILIA] RAHIR, Édouard. Rahir Alphabetical Directory A–Z. A monumental and unique bibliography in 19 volumes, compiled by and for the exclusive use of one of the greatest booksellers and bibliophiles of his time. No place [Paris], no date [circa 1900–1920]. 19 volumes in-8 (245 x 170 mm), each bound in brick-red percaline in the Bradel style, with a smooth spine and a brown leather label bearing the title and volume number. Approximately 200 plates mounted on tabs per volume, for a total of more than 3,500 plates. Some normal wear on the bindings. An exceptional reference work, certainly compiled by Édouard Rahir (1862–1924) himself. Compiled without title pages, it consists of plates onto which thousands of vignettes—cut from auction catalogs—have been meticulously pasted, featuring detailed bibliographic entries for exceptional copies, some enriched with illustrations or reproductions of bookbindings. A leading figure in the antiquarian book market during the Belle Époque, successor to Damascène Morgand, and author of the legendary guide *La Bibliothèque de l’amateur* (1907), Édouard Rahir was the most influential bookseller in Europe for a quarter of a century. An advisor to the greatest collectors of his time and in constant contact with international firms, he built up a legendary library whose dispersal, during memorable auctions held between 1928 and 1938, still inspires admiration among bibliophiles today. This alphabetical catalog serves as the technical, commercial, and bibliographic record of his daily work. The set is in fine condition, in modest, well-preserved bindings of the period.