L’Imagination. [The Imaginary].

Paris: Librairie Felix Alcan, 1936. First edition of Sartre's first book, published as volume 10 of the Nouvelle Encyclopedie Philosophique and commissioned by the editor, Henri Delacroix. Octavo, original wrappers. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "A Brice Parain en tout amitie! JP Sartre." The recipient, Brice Parain was a fellow French philosopher and friend of Sartre's, mainly interested in Communism, Surrealism, and Existentialism, the failures of which he anticipated in part in some of his earlier works, such as Essai sur la misere humaine (1934) and Retour a la France (1936). Parain was one of the chief collaborators in the beginnings of Editions Gallimard (since 1927), as well as a close friend of the Gallimard brothers, particularly Gaston. He was the principal director of the Encyclopedie de la Pleiade collection, and translated various Russian classic works published through Gallimard, including works by Lev Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, and Aleksandr Pushkin. Near fine in the original glassine which is in near fine condition with a small annotation "Envoi" to the crown of the spine. First editions are rare, presentation copies exceedingly so.