168 - (Louis JOU). BOUTS DE BOIS.

(Louis JOU). BOUTS DE BOIS. Les Baux, Les Livres de Louis Jou, 1945. In-4°, ivory Bradel vellum, front cover adorned with the title in capital letters, plain spine, covers and spine, bordered slipcase (M. R. Labussière). A rare FIRST EDITION of this album bringing together 131 woodcuts—including studies, rejected designs, works in progress, and unpublished pieces—by Louis Jou. The artist writes in his preface: “Here is—intended, if anything, for my fireplace—an armful of wood scraps, shavings, and offcuts, all engraved with the force of dreams, desires, and anger… in these times of extreme regulation, I want to engrave anyway, to kill boredom and to work no matter what happens… (Sheet, No. 89). LIMITED EDITION OF ONLY 65 COPIES, this one numbered on Guarro laid paper (Flety, 101). COPY FINELY BOUND BY LABUSSIERE, a bookbinder active during the second quarter of the 20th century.