 The poem was written by Mallarmé in 1897 and published in May of that same year in the magazine "", but was published in book form only in 1914, 16 years after the author's death, based on his extensive notes and exacting instructions.The first edition was printed on July 10, 1914 by the Imprimerie Sainte Catherine at Bruges, in a private 60-copy issue.The poem is spread over 20 pages, in various typefaces, amidst liberal amounts of blank space.