The Double Ascension

Maurice Delamain, The Double Ascension, novel. First edition, Paris, Éditions Stock, Delamain et Boutelleau, 1945. 8vo, original publisher's wrappers. Copy from the ordinary printing on common paper, with publisher's band preserved. Precious autograph dedication by the author on the half-title: 'to Milena Milani in memory of the summer solstice 1951' followed by signature. The recipient is the celebrated Italian writer and journalist Milena Milani (1917-2013), a prominent figure in Venetian post-war culture, known for her scandalous novels and associations with European artists and intellectuals. Cover with foxing and wear, interior in good condition. Significant document of Franco-Italian cultural relations in the post-war period.