REBATET (Lucien). Les Décombres. Paris, Denoël, 1942. In-12, brown half-maroquin with corners, gilt head, untrimmed, cover and spine (Period binding). First edition. One of 50 copies on Rives white laid paper, the only large paper. 200,000 copies of this "bestseller of the Occupation" had been ordered from the printer, who, due to paper shortages, was only able to print 65,000, all of which were sold out in a few weeks in the summer of 1942. Despite its violence, the book is a significant historical testimony to collaboration and fascism in France. A fine, well-bound copy. Small repair to the back cover. Attached is an autograph letter signed by the author dated 15/2/1943 (1 p. in-8 on the letterhead of Je suis partout): "Sir, the last edition of my book is sold out. There are none left, not even at Denoël, and I don't think you can find any in bookshops, except in a few black-market outlets. However, we do have paper for a small print run of 4 or 5,000 copies, which I think will come out in early March. The Rive Gauche bookshop on Boulevard Saint Michel will certainly be supplied with Décombres by then. [The paper crisis is solely responsible for this state of affairs [...]".