[LIMITED EDITIONS CLUB]. MAPPLETHORPE, Robert (1946-1989), photographer. -- RIMBAUD, Arthur (1854-1891). A Season in Hell. New York: The Limited Editions Club, 1986.
4to. Photogravures by Robert Mapplethorpe. Original red morocco lettered in black by the Jovonis Bookbindery; publisher's slipcase (very light rubbing). Original newsletter laid-in. Provenance: Donald E. Petersen (1926-2024), American businessman and former CEO of the Ford Motor Company (ownership blind stamp).
LIMITED EDITION, number 10 of 1,000 copies. SIGNED BY MAPPLETHORPE AND TRANSLATOR PAUL SCHMIDT. A Season in Hell was begun in April 1873 and was completed shortly after Rimbaud's split with his lover Paul Verlaine following a violent quarrel which ended with Rimbaud shot in the arm. Due in part to the controversy surrounding his relationship with Verlaine the work was snubbed by Parisian critics. In the immediate aftermath of its publication Rimbaud burned all of his manuscripts, resolved never to write poetry again. Shortly thereafter he left France and would spend the next two decades traveling throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa.