GREFFULHE (Élisabeth, comtesse) Nos Lettres d'Enfants [Nangis: L. Ratel imprimeur, 1894]. - In-8, burgundy half-maroquin with corners, gilt fillets, ornate spine, gilt edges (period binding). Extremely rare first edition, printed in an edition of 35 copies not sold. This is a private publication, bringing together the children's letters of Élisabeth (1860-1952), Pierre (1862-1913), Joseph (1858-1937) and Ghislaine (1865-1955) de Riquet de Caraman-Chimay, 4 of the 6 children of Joseph de Riquet de Caraman (1836-1892), 18th Prince of Chimay, and Marie de Montesquiou-Fezensac (1834-1884). The book was published by Élisabeth, who married Count Henry Greffulhe (1848-1932) on March 19, 1882. An aristocrat and emblematic figure of the Belle Époque Tout-Paris, she is famous for having inspired Marcel Proust to create his character of the Duchess of Guermantes in "In Search of Lost Time". The collection opens with an intimate and captivating preface by Élisabeth. It contains 67 letters, written between 1866 and 1874, the last text being entitled: "Narration. This is an unnumbered copy on Hollande paper. Edmond de Goncourt owned a dedicated copy on Japon paper, in which he indicated that the print run was limited to 25 copies on this paper. According to the justification, only 10 copies exist on Hollande paper. No copy is listed in the Catalogue Collectif de France. A fine copy in contemporary binding. Slight rubbing to covers and corners. Small stains on a few leaves.