Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893)
Autograph letter signed (‘Guy de Maupassant’,) to an unknown recipient [Henry Kistemaeckers], Paris n.d. [c.1882]
In French. 3½ pages, 179 x 113mm; [with] an autograph letter signed ('G. Sand'), 12 January [c.1863]. Provenance: 1) Sotheby's, 2 December 1994, lot 645; 2) Sotheby's New York, 15 December 1986, lot 78.

Maupassant offers a volume of short stories for publication. Maupassant writes to his Belgian publisher to offer for publication a collection of ten short stories, which he expects will be a ‘a bit larger than M[ademois]elle Fifi'. He gives instructions on the book’s format and printing as well as the sale price and terms of the publishing deal: ‘you will produce a nice demi luxe edition, but not quite the same as the ordinary working volumes, as I do not wish to flood Paris with volumes of short stories in this format. The selling price would be 3f.50 or four francs ... you will pay me in advance on 1 August for half of this edition. The other half when it goes on sale.’ Sand discusses the recently revised 9th chapter of her novel Mademoiselle La Quintinie (1863) – ‘voila toutes mes raisons, mon ami. […] êtes vous content des autres actes?’.