An inscribed copy refers a manuscript message left by the author on a copy of one of his works. It can be specifically addressed to a person connected to the author, i.e. a fellow writer, and can be either signed or unsigned. Sometimes accompanied by a drawing (Cocteau), a collage (Prévert) ...

When the recipient is prestigious, or the inscription is an integral part of the writer's history or sheds new light on the work... it bears witness to a major event: the book's encounter with History.

A copy inscribed by its author is all the more interesting from a book collecting perspective if it is on a rare first edition, or an uncommon but sought-after early text. (see our article: What is a first edition?)