Paris 1900: Traduction par Sylvia Beach et Adrienne Monnier

Paris: La Maison des Amis des Livres, 1938. FIRST FRENCH EDITION. 8vo, pp. 62, [2]. Original buff wrappers, front wrapper lettered in black. Edges untrimmed. A trifle soiled, creasing to spine, pushing to spine ends, shaken, else, clean and bright. Housed in a custom-made white cardboard folder, spine label lettered in black, paper label, reproducing the front wrapper, to front flap. Very good. Jisc LHD lists three copies (BL, Bodleian & UoCambridge). A lovely copy of Bryher's fragile child's-eye memoir of Paris. Paris 1900 was first issued in English in 1937 in Bryher's literary magazine, Life and Letters Today. The short memoir opens with the first use of her concept "geographical emotions" and offers a rather Benjaminian account of the Great Exhibition in Paris. Walter Benjamin and Bryher corresponded and met during the late 1930s, and through Monnier, the British author later funnelled money to the German Jewish philosopher in a bid to help him flee Paris and escape the advancing German army. An edition which unites three important queer modernists, who were close friends and lovers: it was translated by Beach and Monnier, published through the latter's imprint and, likely, sold in both their shops.