Gigi - illustrated by Mariette Lydis. Paris: Georges Guillot, 1948.
Limited edition, copy XI of 45 Artist's Proof copies printed in addition to a total of 315 numbered copies, folio; illustrated with 15 original dry point engravings in color by Lydis with their original tissue guards preserved plus an additional suite in black and white at rear contained in the original glassine wrapper; loose signatures within stiff printed wrappers; contained in the original chemise and cardboard slipcase lettered in red (spotting mostly confined to lower margin, occasional minor offsetting; slipcase starting at corners, minor staining); 13x9¾ in.
Colette's famous novella was inspired by the life of Yola Letellier, born Yvonne Henriquet, who married Henri Letellier, the wealthy owner of Paris's Le Journal and various Normandie casinos who was 36 years her senior. Yola went on to have notable extramarital affairs, the most documented of which is her relationship with Lord Louis of Mountbatten. Colette glimpsed Yola and her husband Henri just after their marriage in 1926 at a hotel where they were all staying, prompting her to write this novella about a young girl brought up to be a courtesan, only to marry an older man who falls deeply in love with her. Gigi was eventually adapted into a popular play starring Audrey Hepburn, who was chosen for the role by Colette herself.
