UZANNE, Octave.

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Dictionnaire Bibliophilosophique, typologique, iconophilesque, bibliopégique et bibliotechnique, First edition, number 95 of 176 copies, signed by the printer Luis Maneyro. Uzanne's ode to the bibliographical world defines and illustrates various aspects of the book, including the professions involved in book production and book collectors. The ornate wrappers, which prominently depict women, mark it as one of the highlights of French luxury book production.Octave Uzanne (1851-1931) was a "paragon of bibliophilia in fin-de-siecle France" (Silverman, p. 239), working as an author, a journalist, a bibliographer, and occasionally a publisher. Finding existing bibliophile societies excessively traditional, he founded two of his own and became a "herald of a new type of bibliophilia, one that privileged close collaboration between artists, authors, publishers and collectors" (Silverman, p. 240). Accordingly, the wrappers for the Dictionnaire feature designs by the French Art Nouveau poster artists Paul Berthon and Georges de Feure. The illustrations for the plates are provided by the artists Oswald Heidbrinck and Joseph Granié. One, by Heidbrinck, depicts Uzanne wearing a mask while writing and is titled "Un Auteur qui désire garder l'anonyme" ("An author who wishes to remain anonymous"). Another, titled "Les Brocheuses" shows several women at work stitching pages together. The corresponding entry observes that many binderies were owned and operated by women, especially in Paris.

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