Cahiers du mois: Cinéma

[Jean Epstein, Marcel L'Herbier, René Clair, Germaine Dulac (contributors); Man Ray (contributing photographer)]. François and André Bergé (editors). Les cahiers du mois. 16/17. Cinéma. Paris: Éditions Émile-Paul Frères, 1925. First edition, ordinary paper issue (Bouffant), 4,500 such copies, of which this is number 1270, following 90 leading paper copies (30 on Arches, 60 of Lafuma). Octavo (7.5 x 5.5 inches; 190 x 140 mm.). xxiv (back issues and ads on a different paper stock, inserted); 255, [1, contents] pages. 12 photographically illustrated plated inserted at the rear, featured images from three Jean Epstein films, two Marcel L'Herbier films and two Germaine Dulac films, as well as two Man Ray photographs. Publisher's binding in the original wrappers, printed in red and black, priced 12 francs on the rear wrapper; page edges rough-trimmed; no endpapers. Wrappers lightly soiled and discolored from tape reinforcements at the spine ends (since removed); joints starting at the bottom edge (tears of one and a quarter inches (front) and one inch (rear)); small bruise at the base of the spine; spine slightly creased; old pencil notations on the front wrapper, since partially erased; rubber stamp discounting the price on the rear wrapper; some minor edgewear and light foxing. Text block slightly tanned but the pages are still supple, soft wrinkling in the upper margin throughout the text. Still, very good.

According to Stuart Liebman in "Visitings of Awful Promise," "Le regard du verre" is "one of [Epstein's] most striking, though still insufficiently appreciated, speculative texts" (Jstor). Also includes the following articles: "Esprit du Cinématographe" (Marcel L'Herbier), "Rhythme" and "Deux notes..." (René Clair), "L'essance du Cinéma" (Germaine Dulac) and other contributions by A. Cavalcanti, Jacques Feyder, among many more. Les cahiers du mois was a literary periodical with previous contributions from the likes of Marcel Proust and René Crevel; the 16-17 double issue was the second to focus on film (issue 12 published unfilmed scenarios).

"[A]n influential collection of lectures, essays, and notes on almost every aspect of the cinema, published in conjunction with the 1925 Paris Exposition of the Modern Decorative Arts ... The success spurred the publication of several other similar collections." (Abel, French Film Theory and Criticism, vol. 1, Princeton: 1993. p. 323). Not in Viejo. (#10059).