*Stéphane MALLARMÉ. A throw of the dice will never abolish Chance. The pre-original and the original. 1) Un Coup [majuscules] de Dés jamais n'abolira le Hasard [sur-titre:] Observation relative au poème. Cosmopolis. Revue internationale. Paris, Armand Colin et Cie, [4] mai 1897 t. VI, no. 17, gr. in-8 br. Modern cloth slipcase, basane spine with gold titling. Pre-original p. [417] - 427, without offprint, the only publication issued during his lifetime. Ironically [see Parnasse, no. 68], it followed a page by Anatole France (of the Académie française, on the cover) on the frigate La Muiron and Bonaparte. André Lichtenberger worked assiduously to bring the publication to a successful conclusion with the London management, who demanded a Note de la Rédaction "which prevents our most conservative readers from rebelling against the typographical strangeness of your poem" (Marchal OC. I p. 1318). It appeared, but written by Mallarmé: "In this work of an entirely new character, the poet has endeavored to make music out of words. The unity of the poem is formed by a sort of unfolding general leitmotif, with accessory motifs grouped around it. The nature of the characters used and the position of the blanks make up for the musical notes and intervals"... (Marchal ibid. p. 392, or the ms aut. de la coll. Françoise Morel-Charpentier which reproduces it in her facsimile edition of Coup de Dés, La Table Ronde, 2007, n.p.). Note that disappeared in 1914, replaced by that of [Bonniot] (see below). The reading was done page by page, in a narrow way, contrary to that established by Bonniot on the autogr. maquette and proofs for Vollard. A project with Odilon Redon [see 99], which Ambroise Vollard would have edited, did not come to fruition, due to the poet's death, even though the publisher solicited Paul Valéry again in 1900 (Marchal ibid. p. 1320). Only several sets of proofs by Firmin-Didot survived, not all corrected or complete, beginning on July 2, 1897 with the title: Jamais un coup de dés n'abolira le hasard (facsim. in cat. P. Berès 65, 1974, no. 316). Fragile cover restored, otherwise in perfect condition, partly uncut. 2) Un coup de dés jamais n'abolira le hasard [without capitals]. Poem. Paris, Éditions de la NRF, (July 10) 1914, in-4 br. Mouse-gray full box slipcase, small black and red vertical cold-stamped fillets in the center of the opening edge, spine titled in black and red cold-stamped, Japan paper-lined spine flaps, light protective cover in gray card stock, spine-titled etiquette (Clara Gevaert). Original edition limited to 100 num. One of 90 copies, 2nd paper, on Arches vellum, press number I. On January 27, 1913, Claudel suggested to Gide that he print Le Coup de dés, a proof of which he had given to Berthelot. They made another attempt with the Firmin-Didot firm on March 3, 1914, on Whatman, but this was quickly abandoned, as on May 11, laid-out proofs came off the fine Sainte Catherine presses in Bruges, dear to Gide and the young NRF editions, which took up the Mallarméan challenge. Dr. Bonniot declares that he is relying on the last prepared state, "The main innovation [...] seems to us to consist in the fact that there is no recto or verso page [unlike the traditional version of Cosmopolis], but that reading is done on both pages at once, simply taking into account the ordinary descent of the lines". This transverse reading, which followed the manuscript given to Vollard and old proofs, constituted a radical editorial change (the extraordinary manuscript and a corrected proof can be seen in Françoise Morel's facsimile edition cited above). According to cat. 65 by P. Berès, quoted above: "Signature [May 11, 1914] of Gaston Gallimard requesting a new proof, after corrections. Numerous typographical and layout corrections by Dr. Bonniot, the poet's son-in-law, following the instructions once given by Mallarmé". The proofs are complete on June 6, bound in paperback, and the corrections requested have been made. Gallimard signs; a few more corrections indicated by Bonniot. Released July 10, just before the war. Textual variations, e.g.: "Une simple insinuation//d'ironie/enroulée à tout le silence/ou/précipité" > (1914): "Une insinuation simple/au silence enroulée avec ironie/ou/le mystère". Cover on Japon paper. We had noted in the Moureau-Bellefroid coll. that the covers of the young editions of the NRF, in in-4 tellière reprints (obviously not a reprint here, but of the same format), were on a fine Japon for Claudel, Gide, Verhaeren (Drouot, Bergé, 3/12/2003, n°s 137 to 141). (H. Vignes and P. Boudrot, Bibliographie des Édition