works from François Mauriac’s library on sale at the Old Book Fair

“Between the Mably chapter house and the neighboring courtyard, there will be 17 exhibitors for this Old Book Fair,” says Jean-Michel Andrault, coordinator of the event scheduled for Saturday January 18 and Sunday January 19 (1). There could be more of them, but we prefer to keep the event on a human scale. And be sure to present quality, which does not necessarily mean expensive books. »

Quality, this 18^e Salon Bordeaux is sure to have some with the arrival of Henri Vignes, former president of the National Union of Ancient and Modern Bookstores, the main professional organization in this field. This Parisian bookseller comes to Gironde with several rare volumes. “Two years ago I bought François Mauriac’s library from his last son, Jean,” he says. I took around fifty books which might interest the people of Bordeaux. »

Collection of speeches

An original edition (1943) of “The Interior Experience” by Georges Bataille, for example, annotated with an autograph intended for Mauriac. Or an 1821 edition of the Satires of the Latin poet Juvénal: two volumes in which the Bordeaux writer left his signature. More original, Henri Vignes also offers a collection of speeches (including one by Jacques Chaban-Delmas) delivered at the Grand-Théâtre in 1965, for the 80^e author’s birthday. Or one of the very first books written about him, in 1935. Well, it’s in Polish, “but this work is neither in the National Library of France, nor at the François Mauriac Center in Malagar”.

Bordeaux figures

The bookseller does not forget the other Bordeaux figures of literature and the arts: Louis Emié, with a copy of “La Nuit d’October” (1929) whose entire title page is annotated with a text which recounts the genesis of this novel; Jean de La Ville de Mirmont, with an original edition (1914) of “Sundays of Jean Dézert”, “the only work published during his lifetime”; André Lhote, with a luxury print of “La Peinture, le coeur et l’esprit” (1933), a collection of articles accompanied by a lithograph by the painter-engraver. And Odilon Redon, whose engravings accompany a copy of “Fleurs du mal” by Charles Baudelaire which belonged to Paul Éluard or an edition of “The Temptation of Saint Antoine” by Gustave Flaubert.

All this, of course, comes at a price. From 70 to 3,200 euros. “There is an audience for these books, which are in fact luxury items. But I also make a point of offering books for 20 euros. Literature should not only be aimed at an elite. At this price, you can find old editions of Dostoyevsky or Kafka. And in Bordeaux, I also see books on gastronomy, travel, eroticism, cooking… All human passions in fact. »

Why come to the Bordeaux show for the first time this year, then? “Because it was offered to me, and I was tempted. I had already come for shopping and I loved this city, marked by art and history. And then this 18th century room^e century where we exhibit is magnificent. We don’t necessarily have places like this when we exhibit in Paris. »

(1) From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., free entry.