Des Canons, des Munitions? Merci! Des Logis...s.v.p.

1938. LE CORBUSIER. Des Canons, des Munitions? Merci! Des Logis... s.v.p. Oblong 4to., 283 x 230 mm, bound in original illustrated boards, in a new red cloth folding box. Paris: Editions de l'Architecture d'Aujourd'hui, [1938]. First Edition of one of the scarcest and most sought-after books by Le Corbusier. This profusely illustrated monograph is based on Le Corbusier's involvement with the Pavillon des Temps Nouveaux in 1937. In publishing this plea for the application of the same technologies that were utilized for the fabrication of munitions and armaments of war to the realization of an enlightened architectural urbanism, Le Corbusier was nonetheless struck by the increased relevance of the title applied to his text. The title-page bears the parenthetical note: "Ce titre date de janvier 1937; il n'est nullement une allusion à l'actualité brûlante des réarmements de 1938." The pictorial boards are decorated with a collage of images of fighter planes, artillery shells, a cannon, and a city overview. A fine copy of a book rarely found intact owing to the fragile nature of the boards. Fotografia Publica 133. Andel, Avant Garde Page Design 327. Fundacion Juan March, The Avant-Garde Applied 1890-1950. No. L337