ARCHIVE OF 2 AUTOGRAPH LETTERS SIGNED (ALSs)

1853 & 1868. Letter. Creases from folding. Near Fine. Two one-page handwritten letters, both in French, dated 27 November 1853 and 29 February 1868, on 5-1/4" x 8-1/4" sheets of paper, each addressed to an unidentified publisher asking for the return of two manuscripts. Roughly, "After four unfruitful visits I finally secured an appointment and a promise of a reply. You did not keep the appointment. I believe it useless to prolong this game of hide and seek to which I am not accustomed and which it does not suit me to continue any further. Be so kind, Sir, as to put at my disposal the two manuscripts which I entrusted to you...." Jules de Goncourt (truncated) published books together with his brother Edmond. Letters by Edmond are plentiful, but due to Jules's death at the age of 39 of a stroke brought on by syphilis, his letters are rather scarce on the market. The Prix Goncourt, the most prestigious prize in French language literature, is named for them. (Inventory #: 020111)