FRANC-NOHAIN (Maurice Étienne Legrand, known as), *Les Inatt - Lot 162

FRANC-NOHAIN (Maurice Étienne Legrand, known as), *Les Inattentions et Sollicitudes* Paris, Léon Vanier, 1894. In-12, paperback, printed cover. First edition of this collection of poetic fantasies and humorous texts published by Léon Vanier, an iconic publisher of the Symbolists. Franc-Nohain—who would later become a member of the Académie Française, a journalist, a librettist, and a contributor to *Le Chat Noir*—already displays here the lighthearted, ironic, and delightfully absurd spirit that would make his reputation. Illustrated with a frontispiece portrait of the author drawn by Fernand Fau. The volume brings together poems, dialogues, skits, and short plays in which humor is intertwined with observations of contemporary foibles. A characteristic testament to the Parisian literary bohemian scene of the late 19th century, this volume is one of the first major works by the man who would become a prominent figure in French literature during the Belle Époque. Copy preserved in its original paperback binding. Cover in fair condition; the front cover is almost entirely torn and detached. Interior in good condition; paper uniformly yellowed with a few scattered foxing spots.