Van Ky - Mémoires d'un Eunuque - 1966

THE MOST SOUGHT-AFTER LUXURY EDITION WITH THE SEDUCTIVE PLATES BY PIERRE-LAURENT BRENOT
Magnificent edition of French bibliophily, produced in a strictly limited print run and illustrated by Pierre-Laurent Brenot, a celebrated French painter and illustrator, regarded as one of the leading interpreters of twentieth-century feminine illustration. The work, attributed to Vietnamese writer Pham Van Ky, is printed on vélin chiffon des Papeteries de Lana, in elegant loose pages within an editorial cover and a precious rigid case decorated with gilded Chinese motifs. This copy, no. 286, belongs to the numbered edition of 700 copies in total and preserves the color erotic plates and the supplementary plates provided by the print-run justification.
WHY TO BUY
Limited edition of only 700 numbered copies.
Copy no. 286.
Printed on vélin chiffon des Papeteries de Lana.
Complete with the precious original editorial case.
Illustrated by Pierre-Laurent Brenot, one of the great French illustrators of the twentieth century.
Original color erotic plates, including a double plate.
Edition reserved exclusively for subscribers.
Curious erotica of great typographic elegance.
Sought after by collectors of French illustrated books and fine erotic editions.

MARKET VALUE
The editions of Éditions de l'Ibis today constitute one of the most sought-after sectors of French bibliophily in the second half of the twentieth century. The combination of a limited print run, luxury paper, and original illustrations has made these publications highly valued on the international market. Complete copies with the editorial case and supplementary plates are generally offered between €480 and €600, while particularly well-preserved copies can command higher prices.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Edition in loose leaves, kept in a mute ivory-cardboard editorial cover with title printed in red and the original black linen editorial case decorated with oriental motifs and calligraphy. Copy no. 286 of the limited edition. Illustrated with 15 original color erotic compositions. The case shows some minor signs of age. In ancient books with a multigenerational history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. 166, (2); 2nn; (2); 2nn; (2).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Mémoires d'un Eunuque.
Paris, Hofer, 1966.
Work generally attributed to Vietnamese writer Pham Van Ky. Illustrations by Pierre-Laurent Brenot.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Mémoires d'un Eunuque belongs to the refined private French production destined for collectors of illustrated books. The text, set in Imperial China, develops a narrative rich in sensuality, court intrigues, and oriental atmospheres, offering an imaginary glimpse into the closed world of eunuchs and the imperial harem. The bibliographic interest of the work is enhanced by the illustrations of Pierre-Laurent Brenot, who reinterpret the erotic theme with painterly elegance, avoiding any vulgarity and aligning with the best tradition of French illustration of the twentieth century.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Pham Van Ky (1910–1992) was one of the leading Vietnamese writers in French. Moving to France in the 1930s, he collaborated with important literary magazines and developed a body of work characterized by the meeting of Asian culture and European sensibility. Numerous texts published after the war helped spread to Western audiences a literary vision of Chinese and Vietnamese tradition. The illustrations are the work of Pierre-Laurent Brenot (1913–1998), a renowned painter, poster artist, and French illustrator, best known for his refined feminine figures and for prestigious bibliophilic editions.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The work was published in 1966 by Éditions de l'Ibis exclusively for a circle of subscribers. The total edition was limited to 700 numbered copies, distributed in several state-of-perfection on vélin chiffon des Papeteries de Lana paper, with variants including plates rejected and supplementary suites intended for the first numbers of the edition. The typographic quality, luxury paper, and rich iconography place this work among the most elegant French bibliophile productions of the 1960s.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Carter, ABC for Book Collectors.
Monod, Livres illustrés modernes.
Talvart & Place, Bibliographie des auteurs modernes.
Cataloghi Librairie Diogène.
Cataloghi Harrison-Hiett Rare Books.
Cataloghi Les Éditions de l'Ibis.