PICASSO Pablo, MONLUC Adrien de. LA MAIGRE. Lighting and layout by Iliazd. Illustrated with drypoints by Pablo Picasso. Paris, Le Degré Quarante-et-un, 1952. In-2 (430 x 255 mm) of 17-[3] pp. 3 bifeuillets on Rives. - In leaves, under double cover : the first in filled parchment and decorated with a drypoint on the upper cover, the second on printed Madagascar; thin parchment wrapper; light cardboard publisher's folder. Edition illustrated with 10 original drypoints, 9 of which are double-page, as well as the cover. "It was in this book that I first introduced the exclusive use of variable spaces interspersed between letters, in order to balance them and lighten the lines." (Iliazd) Edition of 74 copies, this one of 14 on old japon à la forme, the smallest edition, and among them one of the 6 companion copies (n°I, printed for Wolf Chalit), signed by Picasso in pencil and Iliazd in purple pencil. Wolf Chalit was the director of the Union printing house, which he had founded in 1909; of Russian origin like Iliazd, and typographer of works by Lenin and Apollinaire's Calligrammes, he was the printer of all the Degré 41 books published in France. A superb copy from the rare japon edition. Printer: Lacourrière, Paris, for the engravings; Union, Paris, for the typography. Bibliography: Cramer, 63; Bloch, 698-707.