740 - DAUDET, Alphonse: 5 letters and 1 autograph telegram addressed “Dear Sir,” “Sir and dear colleague” to Gaston [and Léon?] Bérardi. Paris, Grindelwald, no place of publication. [c. 1881–1885] 1 to 2 1/2 pages, folio or double-leaf in-12 or smaller (slight creases from mailing, minor traces of mounting to a document). An interesting correspondence largely devoted to Daudet’s relations with the press and the conditions under which his works were reproduced in *L’Indépendance belge*. Several letters form a coherent series centered on the publication of *Numa Roumestan* and *L’histoire de mes livres*. Delaying his new novel—notably because he refused to “ever produce anything less than a work perfected down to the last detail”—Daudet offered Bérardi, in compensation, the exclusive right to publish his memoirs on the genesis of his books, intended for *Le Globe*. This favor, however, led to a mix-up when reproduction permissions granted to other newspapers resulted in threats of legal action. The author, “nervous and disgusted,” then decided to no longer allow reprints prior to publication, while maintaining very cordial relations with Bérardi. Two shorter documents concern meetings with Gaston Bérardi at his Parisian home (“at the end of the world”), 3 avenue de l’Observatoire. Enclosed: a photographic portrait of Daudet. Collotype, 14 x 9.4 cm (small watermark in the upper left corner, traces of mounting, and an old pen annotation on the reverse). (7 items)