Georges Heilbrun (Paris)

Forty-four volumes (21 cm), in publisher’s wrappers, as issued - A nearly complete set of the “Nouvelle série” of Heilbrun’s catalogues, lacking just one of the 45 issued (Catalogue 41: Collection des éditions populaires de Victor Hugo, issued 1974). A catalogue with provisional title “Quelques livres du XVe au XIXe siècle, remarquables par la topographie” was announced in catalogues 44 and 45 as forthcoming, but it never appeared. Heilbrun’s previous, “Première série” was short, ceasing after just two catalogues (1: Livres anciens et romantiques, 1931; 2: Livres anciens et romantiques, [1933-1934]). For publication dates and other details, see Roger E. Stoddard, “‘More valuable to us than all the books in the world’: Georges Heilbrun and his Harvard Library friends” in Gazette of the Grolier Club 47 (1995-1996), pp.25-31. “Future historians of the antiquarian booktrade will find that the traces of Georges Heilbrun’s activities have been deeply etched” (from an obituary by H. de la Fontaine Verwey, in Quaerendo, volume 7, 1977, pp.376-377); cf. obituary by Anthony Hobson, in The Book Collector, Winter 1977, pp.569-571. Long runs of Heilbrun catalogues are notoriously difficult to procure. Paul Breman offered 37 catalogues in 1994 (his Catalogue 164, item 31); a comparable set (33 catalogues) was offered by Jammes in 1993 (Catalogue 264, item 418, FF3500). ¶ Very good copies: a few covers lightly dust-soiled; some covers with the catalogue number in pencil on upper cover.