Alchimie des Philosophes. Textes et manuscrits alchimiques anciens repris en fac-similé. Traductions originales inédites en français et anglais. First edition. (Signed by Dali .Printer's own copy without the 10 plates.)

Paris: Art et Valeur, 1976. Two volumes in cloth chemises, slighlty soiled, without slipcase. 38 x 55.5 cm. "Exemplaire d'artiste" signed by Dali in crayon. The total edition is 275 copies. This copy was the printer's own copy. The 10 hors texte plates are not present but the 6 serigraphs that begin each section are present. These are reproduced in Albert Field's catalog as nos. 75-12, a-f....References; Albert Field, no. 75-12; Michler-Löpsinger. nos. 835-844 (missing hors texte plates from this copy ); Habarta & Moore, nos. 1120-29. (missing hors texte plates from this copy ..........Note: This copy is ideal for someone who owns one or more of the missing hors texte plates............In this work Dalí combines the prints with ancient alchemy texts (from Chinese, Hebrew, Arabian and other traditions), thereby setting up a dialogue that combines the artist's vision with the written words, revealing a complicity between the poetic and the pictorial aspects. The texts show the way Dalí reflects on the great mysteries of existence, while the prints illustrate the texts, bringing a modern touch to the ancient texts through contemporary imagery.....From the Arabic "al-kimia", the word "alchemy" is thought to have come into the Catalan language through Ramon Llull, the great 13th century Majorcan philosopher and mystic, and a reference figure in Dalí's work. Known as the "hermetic science", the origins of alchemy go back to ancient legends and ideologies, and to the Babylonian astrology and cosmology tradition. Those principles incorporate the idea of a natural metamorphosis, the belief that all metals are converted into gold after millions of years. What nature can accomplish only over the course of a long period of time, human beings can accomplish through art in a short time....The text is printed on a 250-gram pure rag paper, specially made by hand and open-air dried at the Richard de Bas papermill at Ambert in Auvergne. The paper carries the publisher’s watermark ART ET VALEUR-PARIS.....The French, English and Italian translations of selected texts are printed in two columns, set by hand in 20-point Garamount type by the art printer, Dominique Viglino of Bourg-la-Rein. Headings and ornamental capitals are from woodcuts by Henri Renaud Facsimiles of the original documents and manuscripts, which appear opposite the printed texts, were reproduced by the Jacmoet studio in Montrouge....The documents were taken from works found in the bibliotics Marciana in Venice, at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, at the King’s College Library in Cambridge, in the Indian Office Library in London, at the Library of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, in the bibliotheque Nationale and the Arsenal in Paris and in the bibliotheque du Museum d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris....The six Saslvador Dali drawings that illustrate the title pages of the chapters on the six realms of alchemy were printed ias sxerigraphs serigraphy at the Franconville Atelier of Michel Caza....The interior divisions of certain of the works are set off by a special embossed paper of wood pulp impregnated with mineral elements created by Marius Peraudeau of the Richard de Bas mills.... 2 volumes In-folio en feuilles sous chemises toilées grèges muettes (légèrement piquées) - 10 planches couleurs par Dali manquantes, 6 sérigraphies en-tête de chapitre par Dali pour illustrer les différentes alchimies évoquées dans le texte sur 2 colonnes en français et anglais : la chinoise, l'indienne, la grecque, l'arabe, l'hébraïque et l'occidentale - Des reproductions fac-similées de textes anciens dans les différentes langues des alchimies contre- collées - Bon exemplaire d'artiste sur Auvergne pur chiffon (justifié non numéroté), avec signature autographe de Salvador Dali (tirage total : 275 + exemplaires d'artiste).Provenance : Bibliothèque de l'imprimeur d'art Dominique Viglino.).Expertise by Caroline Velk .