Cocteau, Jean

Le Livre blanc. [Paris: Les Quatre Chemins,] 1928



4to (9 1/2 x 8 in.; 241 x 203 mm, uncut and unopened).  Few small spots on a very few leaves.  Publisher's printed wrappers and glassine.  Publisher's gray velour-covered chemise and slipcase; soiled.

Arthur Rubin (presentation inscription)

4to (9 1/2 x 8 in.; 241 x 203 mm, uncut and unopened). Few small spots on a very few leaves. Publisher's printed wrappers and glassine. Publisher's gray velour-covered chemise and slipcase; soiled.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

First edition of Cocteau's "white paper" on homosexual love, published anonymously by Maurice Sachs.  Copy X of 10 Roman-numbered copies reserved for the author of a whole edition of 31 copies on vergé blanc de Montval, handmade by Gaspard Maillol.  This copy a presentation copy, inscribed on the half-title, "À Arthur Rubin.  Souvenir de Jean Cocteau.  1947."  The double-page spread of initial blank and half-title also contains 2 handsome pen-and-ink drawings of youths.  The drawing on the left depicts Dargelos, the attractive schoolboy bully, who first appears in 1929 in Cocteau's celebrated Les Enfants terribles. 

A fine copy of an important early work by Cocteau, with two ink drawings.