Paris: Éditions de Sagittaire, 1940.4to. (231 x 159mm.). Twenty photographic plates, publisher’s card noting Dominguez as illustrator of the de luxe copies loosely inserted. Publisher’s original red paper wrappers printed in white and black, later glassine wrapper. Skilfully repaired long tear to upper cover, not affecting any text, a little bumping at foot, one or two short shallow creases. A very good copy.FIRST EDITION. Breton saw ‘humour noir’ as that looking inwards that allows us sometimes to cope with the endlessly frightening absurd situations, so much bigger than us, with which the world confronts us. Breton’s return to military uniform in 1939 was just such a situation for him, and this anthology represents texts he carefully chose either for their personal importance to him, the writer’s ability to recapture that innocence of youth as yet untamed by the mores of the conscious mind, or their survival of extraordinary adventures. His choices include Lewis Caroll, Apollinaire, Baudelaire, Jarry, Picasso, Prévert, Nietzsche, Sade and Rimbaud.’L'humour noir’ for Breton represents our coping facility in the face of a coercive, chaotic, terrible and brutal world (as the world is, from time to time). Breton had organised a conference on the subject at the Comédie des Champs-Elysées in Paris in 1937, the results of which were published as ‘de l’Humour Noir’, with a cover illustration by Tanguy. The ‘Anthologie’ was published by Sagittaire in 1940, negotiations for its publication by Denöel having fallen through; the edition included forty de luxe copies with a cover by Oscar Dominguez, and this copy retains the card stating: “M. Marcel Duchamp étant actuellement en Amerique, la couverture des exemplaires de luxe est de M. Dominguez”.Édition originale. Broché, couverture avec une déchirure habilement réparée, illustré de vignt photographies, et conservant la notice originale concernante la couverture des exemplaires de luxe.