Je vous salue, ma France [I Salute You, My France]

Item Details

(S.l. [Paris]), Éditions F.T.P.F., 1944, Original wrappers

Limited First Edition, Near Fine

A primary artifact of the French literary Resistance, this copy is the premiere example (No. 1 of 25) of the special issue on Papier Alfa. 

Composed during the German occupation, Aragon’s poem is a harrowing and defiant invocation of national identity, notable for its early and direct naming of the deportations and Auschwitz. Published by the Éditions F.T.P.F.—an imprint of the armed Resistance—this pamphlet was produced under the semi-clandestine conditions of the Liberation era. 

The title typography is executed in a distinctive tactile relief, reflecting the urgent and irregular printing constraints of wartime France.

CONDITION: Near Fine -- An exceptional survival for such a fragile pamphlet. The octavo is tight and square with a clean text block showing only light, even age-toning. A small chip is noted at the lower edge of the rear wrap, and a faint pencil notation appears at the lower corner of the final page. The original glassine wrapper is present and well-preserved, having been stored separately to protect the tactile embossed title.

KEY FEATURES
+++ Limitation: Copy No. 1 of only 25 numbered copies on Papier Alfa.
+++ Visuals: Unique embossed and tactile title typography; raised printing visible on recto.
+++ Imprint: Éditions F.T.P.F. (affiliated with the Forces Françaises de l’Intérieur).
+++ Historical: Direct references to the Resistance, imprisonment, and Auschwitz.
+++ Scarcity: While OCLC records 7 institutional holdings for the standard issue, none specify this limited 25-copy state.
+++ Specs: In-8°, 8 unnumbered pages; 21 cm.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE --
Louis Aragon was the leading poetic voice of the clandestine Resistance. Je vous salue, ma France was written as the "Chant national" for the Liberation. 

This specific printing by the F.T.P.F. (the armed wing of the Communist Resistance) highlights the intersection of political militancy and high-art production. As Copy No. 1, this specimen was likely intended for a high-ranking member of the Resistance or a central figure in the Surrealist/Communist circle.

SUBJECTS: Aragon, Louis, France,History — German occupation, 1940–1945; World War II, Literature and the war, French Resistance, Imprints, Clandestine publishing, France, Poetry, Resistance Literature, Wartime Printing, French Modernism.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: FRBNF31726841 (standard issue).

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