Georges REMI, known as HERGÉ (1907-1983) THE MYSTERIOUS STAR First edition. 2nd plate A18, 1943, Casterman with title 1st page Pellior red spine, dark blue endpapers. Title in blue on title page. Small title added at top of page 1. Part of the edition of 12 561 copies of the second edition A20. Quite a few copies of this edition have been rebacked with the endpapers (ultramarine blue) and the slightly larger second cover of the original edition. Published in bookshops at the end of April 1943. "Lesne wrote on 12 January 1943: "We're working on a reprint of The Mysterious Star on wartime paper, at a price of around ten thousand," adding: "Many people imagine when they open the album that the first page is missing because they're looking in vain for the title [...] These remarks are right [...] What do you think? Hergé approved and even wondered why he hadn't thought of it before. On Monday 8 March he wrote: "We thought the reprint of L'Étoile on plain paper was very good [...]. The title does not look bad at all. "On 6 April, Lesne wrote: "2nd print run at 12,500, finished". And on the 24th, he wrote: "Here, we complete the expeditions of L'Étoile mystérieuse, of which practically all the new print run will be sold out". In 1942, Casterman forgot the title banner for L'Étoile mystérieuse, which was added in 1943 on the 4th plate A18. Examination of the signatures reveals an identity between these two printings. On the other hand, the last plate and the endpapers of the A18 recartonnage were in fact taken from the original edition. The first cover is from the A20 edition. The A18 edition with title on the first page is therefore part (around 10% of the print run) of the second A20 edition, of which 12,561 copies were printed between January and March 1943 (including 1,250 pass copies). It is therefore worth highlighting the rarity of this A18 recartonnage of the second A20 colour edition, which was probably produced in an edition of 1,000 copies. A magnificent album. The signatures are new, with no foxing or tears, and the covers are impeccable despite some rubbing. Hergé/Tintinimaginatio 2024