GARY (Romain). Lot n° 38

Lady L. Paris, Gallimard, 1963. In-12, bradel with geometrical mosaic of box covers in three shades of yellow and honey morocco, smooth spine titled in cold, lining and endpapers in lime japan, untrimmed, cover and spine, folder and case sheathed in bright yellow box (H. Liesen, 2009) French first edition. One of the 20 first copies on Hollande vellum. Lady L. is one of the first works of Romain Gary written directly in English, like the two volumes of The American Comedy. It was published in New York in 1959, by Simon & Schuster, before being published in French by Gallimard, in a French translation prepared by Jean Rosenthal and revised by the author. The inspiration for the novel is autobiographical: the character of Lady L. is an evocation of Lesley Blanch, a British woman of letters with whom Romain Gary was married from 1945 to 1962. Gary made a film adaptation of it, directed in 1965 by Peter Ustinov, with Sophia Loren in the title role. Very nice mosaic binding signed by Hugo Liesen, Belgian bookbinder and bookbinding teacher trained at La Cambre. From the Jacques Culot library, with bookplate.