Signé ; Léon Bloy - Le Mendiant ingrat - 1898

LEON BLOY - The Ungrateful Beggar (1898) - Original edition on Hollande paper with autograph signature

Superb copy of the original edition of Léon Bloy's diary, The Ungrateful Beggar (1892-1895), published in Brussels by the prestigious symbolist publisher Edmond Deman in 1898. Léon Bloy (1846-1917) is one of the most flamboyant and uncompromising figures of late 19th-century French literature.
Features of the copy
• Author: Léon Bloy
• Title: The Ungrateful Beggar (Author's Journal 1892-1895)
• Publisher: Edmond Deman, Brussels
• Year: 1898 (Original Edition)
• Paper: Hollande paper (mould-made paper with watermark and visible specks through transparency).
Autograph Signature
This copy contains an authentic handwritten signature in ink by Léon Bloy on the half-title page.
• Proof of authenticity: The ink has penetrated the Hollande paper completely and is perfectly visible on the reverse side through transparency (see the photos taken with backlighting). This is by no means a printed reproduction, but an original signature by the author.
• The page of justification also bears a small, hastily written mysterious mark beneath the mention of the tirage.
Condition
• Binding: Modest but sturdy contemporary binding (half-chagrin or similar), smooth spine with a gilt title piece.
• Interior: The Hollande paper has beautifully stood the test of time. Occasional foxing, quite normal for a book of this period, not affecting readability.
• Copy well complete with its endpapers and its tirage justification.