Vítězslav Nezval – Most (The Bridge), 1922. Inscribed with a Manuscript Quotation from Guillaume Apollinaire

Nezval, Vítězslav. Most. Básně 1919–1921 [The Bridge. Poems 1919–1921]. Brno: S. Kočí, 1922. 28 × 13 cm. With an original woodcut by Arnošt Ráž. Printed by František Obzina in Vyškov. Elegantly rebound in red suede with gilt initials VN on the front cover, housed in a marbled paper slipcase. Very good condition, light staining to colophon. The first published book by Vítězslav Nezval (1900–1958), one of the principal figures of the Czech avant-garde and a founding member of Devětsil. Published during the formative years of the Czech avant-garde, Most precedes Nezval's development of Poetism and his subsequent involvement with Surrealism.An exceptional copy, inscribed and signed by Nezval with a handwritten quotation from Guillaume Apollinaire's La Jolie Rousse (1918): “Je juge cette longue querelle de la tradition et de l'ordre et de l'aventure.” Dated Prague, 17 November 1922, the year of publication. The quotation, contrasting tradition and order with artistic adventure, is particularly significant in Nezval's first book, documenting his engagement with Apollinaire's poetry at the outset of his literary career and anticipating the experimental direction of his subsequent work with Devětsil and the Czech Poetist movement.