Pierre Louys
French poet, 1870-1925
Pierre Louys was a French poet and writer, most renowned for lesbian and classical themes in some of his writings. Louys was named Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur on 31 December 1909 for his contribution to French literature as a man of letters. He was promoted to Officier de la Légion d’honneur on 14 January 1922. Many erotic artists have illustrated his writings. Some of the most renowned have been Georges Barbier, Paul-Émile Bécat, and André Edouard Marty. The best known illustrations for The Songs of Bilitis were done by Willy Pogany in art deco style for a publication privately circulated by Macy-Masius, New York, in 1926.
Source: Wikipedia
French poet and novelist (1870-1925). Autograph letter monogramed. N. p. o. d. 8vo. 4 pp. on bifolium.
$ 192 / 180 €
(90174/BN59625)
Curious letter to an unnamed recipient with an assessement of the submarine fleets of the Allied Powers as opposed to the Axis Powers and their importance for maritime warfare in World War I. Louÿs first quotes a list from Raoul Testu de Balincourt's famous almanac "Flottes de combat" dated 1 June 1914 and explains why the Ottoman and Austrian fleets are negligible. According to his assessment, the German fleet lacked "dreadnoughts to protect their ensign" and thus, at this point, "no German nor Austrian vessel can navigate (steam, sail, nor armored) any sea on the globe", while "all the commercial ships of the Allies navigate freely in the entire world", only taking "some risks going around the English coasts, in the Adriatic sea, and especially in the Baltic".
In this situation, the combined 218 submarines of the Allies were, according to Louÿs, "practically useless" and they "could have stopped constructing them as fear of the Allied dreadnoughts alone sufficed to chase the enemy ensign from all oceans", while the submarines didn't find any kind of German ship "to torpedo" anymore. - The letter must have been written after Italy joined the Allies in April 1915 and before the United States entered the war two years later. The Allied naval blockade of Germany was indeed very successful at restricting the German Navy to the German Bight. However, the German submarine fleet inflicted important damages to the British merchant fleet until the establishment of the convoy system in the second half of 1917. - Well preserved..
French poet and novelist (1870-1925). 1 autograph letter signed and 1 autograph letter monogrammed. Tamaris [La Seyne-sur-Mer]. 8vo. Together 5 pp. on bifolia. With autograph envelopes.
$ 1,015 / 950 €
(91573/BN60894)
To his brother Georges Louis, commenting on political articles in Le Temps and Le Gaulois and mentioning a favour to a friend who was seeking employment in French West Africa. The letter from 12 September: "Tout en approuvant le fond des deux articles du Temps sur la note allemande, je ne pense pas que tu en approuves la forme; je crois comprendre qu’on avait soufflé à [André] Tardieu : ‘La note a voulu être plus aimable qu’elle ne l’est. Mettez en valeur ce qu’elle a de mieux. Ne faites pas de susceptibilités.’ Mais il a exagéré les salutations.
Il reproche à ses confrères d’être nerveux, il est plus nerveux que personne [...]. C’est très habile avoir fait dire par El Guebbas [M'hammed El Guebbas, grand vizier of Morocco] lui-même que la police mixte était impossible. Quand profitera-t-on de la situation nouvelle ? [...]". - Well preserved..
French poet and novelist (1870-1925). Autograph letter. N. p. 8vo. 2½ pp. on bifolium.
$ 694 / 650 €
(91601/BN60922)
Personal letter to his half-brother Georges Louis, announcing his return from a longer visit to their sister Lucie, relating news from the family and friends, and expressing his hope to see Georges at lunch: "Je reviens toujours demain matin, mon cher Georges. J'espère te voir à déjeuner parce que je serai peut-être obligé de sortir le soir. Tout le monde va bien ici et on est très affectueux pour ton frère. J'ai trouvé les enfants bien grandis. Jacques m'a envoyé ici une lettre très étrange, mystique et jeannesque au possible.
L'influence conjugale est encore mal digérée; mais d'une force ! Ma tante M. elle-même n'a pas eu plus de puissance sur son mari. Je te ferai lire cette prose. C'est bien curieux. 'Tu embrasseras Georges pour moi', me crie Lucie par la porte. Et pour moi aussi !". - On mourning paper..