Boulenger, Jacques (Arnoux, Guy; Cappiello, Leonetto; de Goyon, Mario; Domergue, Jean-Gabriel; Drian; Halouze, Edouard; Sem et al.)

De la Walse au Tango: La Danse Mondaine du 1er Empire a nos jours

Paris, France: Chez Devambez, 1920. Limited First Edition. Softcover. A treatise on historic & contemporary waltz & tango dances by Jacques Boulenger (1879-1944), the noted French literary critic & journalist. With seven color panel prints, each protected by attached glassine sheets, by these acclaimed French & European illustrators: Guy Arnoux (1886-1951), Leonetto Cappiello (1875-1942), Mario de Goyon (188?-1926, frontispiece), Jean-Gabriel Domergue (1889-1962), Drian (b. Adrien Desire Etienne, 1885-1961), Edouard Halouze (1895-1958) & Sem (b. Georges Goursat, 1863-1934). With historic engraved illustrations by various other artists throughout text. Large portfolio-style softcover in sewn binding, a sumptuous antiquarian production, one of a total edition of 1100 copies, this is copy No. 652/1100 per colophon-limitation page opposite frontispiece leaf. Published on May 22, 1920 per French-customary publisher's informational final leaf. All text in French. The quality of the color prints are outstanding, & we have seen some being sold individually as they are indeed well-suited for separate framing & display. These beautiful color illustrations are quite innovative for their time, some verging on a proto-Art Deco style as would be popularized by Erte & other great artists. Also, there is a sensuous, decadent & innuendo-filled appearance in these illustrations that perhaps was received with mild scandal during 1920, but which also was pioneering in its understanding of the ever-more-thinly veiled sexuality in dances (& the cultures that spawned them), & anticipates the Roaring Twenties that had just begun. A magnificent & most collectible antiquarian relic, very rarely if hardly ever available intact as here. In unrestored, relatively quite good-to-near-fine condition with considerable chipping, browning & moderate spotting to publisher's semi-clear glassine jacket over front, back covers & spine; covers themselves appear fine with only very slight rubbing, browning & with light wear, some tiny bumps & creases at edges & corners; spine with many mostly closed tears with some loss of paper/ exposure of binding; edges of text block (all untrimmed as issued) with mild browning, rubbing. Interior near-fine-to-fine with mild-to-moderate browning to blank inner covers & page leaves, the latter mostly at blank margins/edges; some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; binding is loose & as noted above partly exposed, but intact. We note that, importantly, the color illustration leaves are slightly smaller than text-page leaves, are almost completely without any bumps, creases at edges & corners & browned only at blank margins- the illustrations themselves all appear to be bright & pristine- the epitome of old art-printing craftsmanship. Good- Near Fine. [Item #5665]

Price: $1,200.00