158 - FOCILLON (Henri) and JOUAS (Charles). *Méandres*. The Seine from Paris to Rouen. 41 original etchings by Charles Jouas.

FOCILLON (Henri) and JOUAS (Charles). *Méandres*. The Seine from Paris to Rouen. 41 original etchings by Charles Jouas. A remarkable copy of the original edition, printed for the illustrator Charles Jouas and enhanced with 5 original drawings signed by the artist and one of the rare first-state sets of the 41 etchings, in a charming binding lined with Semet and Plumelle. Paris, Société des Amis des Livres, 1938. In-4 (210x290 mm), full blue morocco, scrollwork of gilt fillets on the covers and spine, caramel-colored morocco linings edged with a gilt fillet, the front lining signed “Semet et Plumelle,” blue-gray moiré silk endpapers, double marbled paper endpapers, edges gilt on endpapers, covers and spine preserved, half-morocco slipcase with striped bands, edged slipcase (Semet and Plumelle). 105 pages, 41 original black etchings by Charles Jouas, including a frontispiece, a title vignette, and 39 in-text illustrations. Spine of the binding and slipcase slightly faded; minimal transfer from the frontispiece onto the title page. First edition of this poetic stroll along the Seine by Henri Focillon (1881–1943), illustrated with 41 delicate etchings by the artist, French painter and illustrator Charles Jouas (1866–1942), depicting views and landscapes encountered along the way. This is the last work published during the artist’s lifetime, an “admirable achievement, as successful as it is refined,” according to Carteret [Carteret Illustrés IV, 163]. A unique edition limited to 135 numbered copies on Rives vellum; this being No. 83, printed for the illustrator Charles Jouas, enriched with 5 superb original full-page color pencil drawings, signed and captioned by the artist, and one of the rare first-state sets of the 41 original etchings. From the library of the French screenwriter and writer Charles Exbrayat (1906–1989), with his ex-libris vignette on the blank endpaper. A precious copy, carefully prepared by Semet and Plumelle.