Published in an issue on modern and contemporary artist's books, my article discusses a selection of livres d’artistes/livres de peintres from the collection of the Van Gogh Museum, which are often considered the predecessors of the contemporary artist’s book. The livres d’artistes mark the blurring of the boundaries between artist, writer, illustrator, and publisher in the production process of books. The book collection in the Van Gogh Museum has recently been digitized, and will be presented on the forthcoming website on fin de siècle printmaking.