HENRY (Maurice). Les Métamorphoses du Vide. Paris: les Éditions de Minuit, [1955]. - In-4, 271 x 209 : (32 ff.). Illustrated boards, openwork front cover, green cloth spine (publisher's boards). Vignes, Bibliographie des Éditions de Minuit, no. 198. First edition of this story in pictures recounting Adrien's dreamlike and poetic journey. The book was written by the poet, painter and illustrator Maurice HENRY (1907-1984), who was close to the Surrealists. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful object books of the 20th century. It comprises 64 colour plates on 32 leaves, 16 of which are perforated. "Like the dreamlike, enchanting journey of the character, who has left terra firma to travel through fantastic landscapes that are alternately aquatic, plant and mineral, these openings create a new logic in the reading and disrupt its temporality: each page turned is a step towards a surprise. Imbued with surrealism, these Métamorphoses, quite apart from Maurice Henry's work, also contain images of key reminiscences of his life, bringing together the figures of fellow travellers such as René Daumal, poet of the Grand Jeu, and André Breton" (presentation by Editions des Sandres for the reissue of the book in 2018). One of the rare copies with the first version of the hardback, i.e. in colour and perforated, which was soon abandoned "due to the technical difficulties of perforation" (Vignes), in favour of a non-perforated hardback printed in black and blue. Spine detached, otherwise a very well preserved copy".