(New Orleans) — Alexendre Latil | Inscribed copy of this rare work by the leper-poet of Louisiana, in a fine, yet worn, presentation binding

Latil, Alexandre

Les Ephemeres, Essais Poetiques. New Orleans: Chez Alfred Moret, 184[1]

8vo (211 x 128 mm). Ornamental types on dedication page and elsewhere, typographic ornaments in text, notes, table, and errata at rear; offsetting from the inscription, a diminishing marginal dampstain affecting the first half of the text, foxing, generally mild except to the final two gatherings, light toning to the endpapers and final two gatherings, some small creases at corners, two old leaves laid in. In full dark brown calf, gilt-stamped owner's name in central panel on the front board, the ornamental "E" and "T" in Elmira Tabary are of the same height and design as the decorative capitals on the dedication leaf, the boards with multiple gilt and blind rolled decorative borders, both geometric and floral motifs, the flat spine gilt lettered and decorated, the board edges gilt, all edges gilt; binding worn and defective, with the boards, endpapers, and spine detached, the spine in two pieces.

First and only edition of this rare collection of romantic poetry, the author's first and only book before his untimely death in 1851 at age 35.

Presentation copy, inscribed by Alexandre Latil to his "soeur"—"Souvenir... a Elmira Tabary N. O. Mai 1842 A. Latil"—and bound in a contemporary New Orleans presentation binding.

Latil was engaged to be married when, as an adolescent, he was diagnosed with leprosy. After a period at home, he went to live at the leper colony in Bayou Saint-Jean, la Terre des Lépreux, where he eventually married his betrothed and composed these poems. After a few had appeared in the Gazette de Baton Rouge, he published Les Ephemeres, in which he reflects heavily on his own tragic life. In these poems, he unabashedly addresses his sufferings with illness, blindness, and his fear of death. Most of all, he meditates on the ephemeral nature of life. They also show his promise as a poet, his passion for literature, and the solace that one can find in art, even in the most difficult of situations.

This copy also boasts a fine, albeit very worn, presentation binding that was undoubtedly produced in 1840s New Orleans. The gilt name of the recipient, Elmira Tabary, on the front cover uses the same ornamental types that appear in the book. As such, it was very likely produced by the book's printer at the Imprimerie J. L. Sollee in New Orleans, or by a skilled bookbinder who was closely associated with that print shop.

Additionally, this is something of a dedication copy—the poem titled Le Depart is dedicated to "une soeur (melle Elm... T***)," evidently Elmira Tabary. In it, Latil writes of how his "soeur" helped care for him, how he fears her imminent departure, as well as his own death (pp. 109-116).