[Reliure signée SIM KRA; tirage de tête sur Japon Impérial] Maurice Barrès - Le jardin de Berenice - 1912

[A superb, exceptional copy with a very limited large-paper issue on Imperial Japanese paper, original illustrations by P.-E. Vibert, and a splendid art binding signed by the Simier-Krafft workshop!]

BARRÈS (Maurice) – Le Jardin de Bérénice – Paris, Georges Crès et Cïe, coll. “Les Maîtres du Livre”, 1912 (MCMXII) [Large-paper issue on Imperial Japanese paper, no. 34, bound by Simier-Krafft].

In-8° format (approx. 19 x 13 cm).Half-title, printed wrappers preserved, two-tone red and black title page adorned with a wood engraving by Pierre-Eugène Vibert, wood-engraved author portrait as frontispiece by P.-E. Vibert, complete text.

One of 48 copies printed on Imperial Japanese paper (numbered 34), comprising one of the very first deluxe papers in the overall edition, limited to 999 copies, printed by Paul Hérissey in Évreux on April 28, 1912. Typographic ornaments and woodcuts designed and engraved by P.-E. Vibert.

Half brown morocco with bands and corners, with moiré/cloud-patterned paper boards, raised bands outlined on the spine, author and title gilt on red morocco labels, date at foot (1915). Signed with the Simier-Krafft workshop stamp in the upper part of the inside front cover (“SIM KRA REL”). Top edge gilt, untrimmed, original wrappers and spine preserved.

A fine bibliophile’s copy in perfect condition. The binding is exceptionally fresh, with flawless joints and corners. The interior is perfectly clean and well preserved on this exceptional Imperial Japanese paper.

Originally published in 1891, Le Jardin de Bérénice is the third volume in Maurice Barrès’s (of the Académie française) celebrated novel cycle, Le Culte du Moi. This 1912 edition published by Georges Crès was the brilliant launch of the celebrated “Les Maîtres du Livre” collection, directed by Ad. Van Bever.

The copy stands out in two ways: A legendary large-paper issue on Imperial Japanese paper (no. 34): Printed in only 48 copies on this silky, precious paper, it provides ideal contrast for Pierre-Eugène Vibert’s wood engravings.
An art binding signed by Simier-Krafft: Bearing the monogrammed mark SIM KRA REL, this modern binding in brown morocco and decorated paper reinterprets the tradition of the great French bookbinders with geometric, understated elegance.

Georges Crès’s “Les Maîtres du Livre” collection represented the pinnacle of the Belle Époque’s semi-luxury and deluxe book production. Copies on Imperial Japanese paper bound by master bookbinders are particularly sought after for their perfect layout and the nobility of the paper.