Arcana:

(LEGER, FERNAND). Cendrars, Blaise & Fernand Leger. Paris: La Belle Edition, 1918. First Edition 1/353. Small 4to. Illustrated Wrappers. Livre D'Artiste. Fine./No Jacket - As Issued.. np (36pp), 4 monochrome illustrations in woodcut + a two color woodcut front cover. Text in French. In a protective clear acetate dustwrapper. Published on November 8th, 1918 to coincide with the Armistice of World War I, "J'ai Tué" - which translates to "I Killed" - is a striking collaborative work that features Blais Cendrars' brief but powerful prose describing his hand-to-hand combat to the death with an enemy soldier paired with five woodcuts by Fernand Leger. Born Frederic Louis Sauser in Neuchatel, Switzerland, he became a naturalized French citizen, adopted the nom de plume Blaise Cendrars, and lost his right arm on The Western Front in 1916. Returning to Paris, he subsequently achieved great acclaim as a poet, memoirist, and art critic. "J'ai Tué" represents Leger's first Livre D'Artiste, and the only one illustrated in the Cubist style. A bright, well-preserved example with strong colors of the exceedingly uncommon 1918 La Belle Edition first printing (cited on page 299 of Lawrence Saphire's "Fernand Leger: The Complete Graphic Work") from the standard edition of three hundred NUMBERED (118/327) copies on "papier a la forme" at the Paris presses of Francois Bernouard showing a bit of minor wear and handling along with a short closed tear to the foredge of the front cover. Inventory Number: 024860