Dons des Feminines by Valentine Penrose, with a preface by Paul Eluard

Paris: Les Pas Perdus, 1951. Paperback. Very Good +. Picasso. References: Cramer 61, Bloch 690, Baer 889A Softcover Folio, sewn into original printed wrappers with tissue wrappers, as issued. The book is illustrated with halftone reproductions after collages by Valentine Penrose plus an original etching by Pablo Picasso. This is number 249 of 350 copies, sur Velin which includes the Picasso etching with the 2 bars, the cancellation mark. This etching shows the cancellation bars on the right upper corner, and is numbered 249/350 in pencil. Pablo Picasso especially made the etching for the book and is titled 'The Couple'. The full etching sheet measures approximately 13 inches X 10 inches. The actual etching plate measures approximately 6 5/8 X 8 1/2 inches. Sometimes the etching and the book become separated; rare to begin with, it is even more rare to find the etching and book still being offered together.The softcover book is in very good condition, with clean white pages. The first 2 pages, including the title page, have short tears coming in from the side margin, and 4 more pages after that have small creases in the upper right corner. There is very light wear to the head and heel of the spine, and some light wear to the corners. Otherwise, beautiful, and still in the original onion skin protective wrap.The etching is in near mint condition. There is some slight age toning to the sheet around the outer edges, and a very slight depression in the paper surface in the upper right edge of the plate; hardly of note.Book size approximately 13 x 10 inches.Valentina Penrose naturally embraced the Surrealist movement, she inspired Paul Eluard to write the preface of this book. Picasso, influenced by Eluard, was also inspired to make the beautiful etching that complete this edition.Cramer states that The total edition was 400 copies, The first 50 copies of this book on Alfa wove with one impression of the etching in black, one in brown, and one from the cancelled plate all on china; numbers 51-400 are numbered. There appears to be only 11 impressions which were numbered and signed by Picasso.