Bravo for the Bretons![1] If Sagittarius continues to enrich itself with all of the liabilities that you offer it, its intellectual balance sheet will be ruined even before its inauguration.
Gallimard is again hounding me, by writing to me at Champ Libre -- on the initiative of [Rene] Vienet himself, who wants to juggle "his" three publishers -- and I have responded with a letter, a copy of which I have attached to amuse you.[2]
[Rob] Van Gennep has written to me. He has sold 7,000 copies[3] over three printings and would like my agreement on a new print-run of 2,500 copies, with a slight increase in the sale price. I refused this sequel, my argument based on the completely artisanal character of the distribution, which moreover had only reached France, for short periods, if [Jean-Pierre] Voyer or [Jean-Jacques] Raspaud took charge of the matter. Thus, I believe that it will be necessary to see if your project of reprinting I.S. should be advanced. Because if, by publishing the thing, we risk nothing with respect to the contract -- expired, for at least three reasons -- that Van Gennep signed, we risk much more on the contrary terrain: that he overrides my refusal as well as his petty regrets concerning the percentage of his commercial distributor and that he quickly puts on the market a new printing distributed by Hachette. Therefore, we clearly have something here that could reduce a part of Champ Libre's deficit and in a shorter period of time than Van Gennep working in driblets.
Since we speak here of publishing, have you thought about reclaiming the accounts of the infamous Buchet?[4] I have seen nothing come in.
Since you have said nothing on the subject, I suppose that you still have not arrived at the end of the quest for our Grail: an independent film theater? But I nevertheless hope to have the pleasure of seeing you soon.
Best wishes,[1] Translator's note: see letter to Gerard Lebovici dated 7 March 1975.
[2] See letter to Ania Chevallier dated 16 March 1975
[3] Translator's note: The collected edition of Internationale Situationniste, which was reprinted by Van Gennep in 1971.
[4] Translator's note: the first publisher of the book version of The Society of the Spectacle.
(Published in Guy Debord Correspondance, Vol 5: Janvier 1973-Decembre 1978 by Librairie Artheme Fayard, 2005. Translated from the French by NOT BORED! March 2007. Footnotes by Alice Debord, except where noted.)