Georges REMI, known as HERGÉ (1907-1983) THE NEW EXPLOITS OF QUICK & FLUPKE BRUSSELS KIDS 3rd series 2nd plate P6 blue, 1934, Les éditions du Petit Vingtième. Red cloth spine Numbered copy signed Quick by Hergé on the right hand and Flupke by his wife Germaine Kieckens on the left hand. No thousand. This album will be referenced in the next BDM. This adventure was the last story by Hergé to be published by Éditions du Petit Vingtième. In 1934, Éditions Casterman, with whom Hergé had signed a contract at the end of 1933, bought the Brussels publishing house's stock of unsold albums. The absence of a thousand means, on the one hand, that we do not know the exact print run of this album and, on the other, that the division of the edition into ten series of a thousand, which were never printed in their entirety, was pointless and did not correspond to any production logic or follow-up. As with the albums in the first and second series, Hergé asked for a few albums to be printed separately and, above all, signed to create a first edition for personal use. It is estimated that there were no more than five copies of this first edition, probably fewer, of which this is the only one known to date. It is important to note that the quality of the albums published by Le Petit Vingtième, in terms of the printing of the image on the front cover, the paper and the spines, means that it is very rare to find Petit Vingtième first editions that have not been extensively restored. Faced with the popularity of Tintin and the increased work generated by his successes, following the example of Disney, in 1950 the Hergé studio, which became Hergé dessinateur, evolved to become Studios Hergé based on Avenue Louise in Brussels. The importance of this album lies in the fact that, once it had been created, Hergé affixed the Studios stamp to the copy that he had kept with him since its release. To date, we know of only one series of Quick and Flupke albums, of which this is one, in which Hergé, during his lifetime, affixed the Studios Hergé stamp, thus confirming his attachment to these characters created at the same time as Tintin. This album was part of Hergé's personal collection, hence the presence of the Studios Hergé stamp on the title page. It seems that Hergé and Germaine numbered this album themselves at the time, creating a unique and personal first edition (as no known edition of this title exists). Hergé also affixed a number 3 to this exceptional album from his personal collection. Near mint condition. Boards, corners, headpieces, spine and interior in excellent condition. An exceptional album that belonged to Hergé who, by numbering and signing it with Germaine, created a first edition. A museum piece due to its provenance. Hergé/Tintinimaginatio 2024