Monseigneur le Vin

FIRST EDITION, 5 vols., text in French, numerous coloured text illustrations, original marbled faux suede paper wrappers, original glassines (vol 1. lacking glassine), preserved in a clamshell box, square 8vo, Paris: Van Gindertaele; Poyet; Draeger, 1924-27.

Complete set of promotional volumes for the French wine distributor Maison Nicolas. Each of these charming annuals was designed by a different contemporary designer, including Marcel Jeanjean, Pierre Lissac, Armand Vallée, Carlègle and in particular, Charles Martin. The text is by Georges Montorguiel, one of several pseudonyms used by the French journalist Octave Lebesgue (1857-1933). The series includes Le Vin è Travers l’Histoire; Le Vin de Bordeaux; Le Vin de Bourgogne; Anjou-Touraine, Alsace, Champagne et Autres Grands Vins de France; and finally L’Art de Boire (Wine Throughout History; Wines of Bordeaux; Wine of Burgundy; Anjou–Touraine, Alsace, Champagne and Other Great Wines of France; and finally, The Art of Drink).

“The Établissements Nicolas, a famous Parisian wine distributor, was founded in 1822. The first to sell wine by the bottle and the first to offer a complete range of French and local wines, Nicolas helped to foster Parisian interest in fine wines. Known for their cutting edge advertising campaigns, Nicolas came up with the idea of employing prominent artists to design their catalogues and other publications. The series not only documents the history and techniques of the wine-producing regions of France and provides extensive information on the production and drinking of wines, but also represents a contemporary French popular taste in art.” – Bauman Rare Books.