This text is the preface to Catherine Colomb's first published novel, Pile ou Face (1934), within the volume of her complete works, Tout Catherine Colomb, the general editor of which is Prof. Daniel Maggetti. This preface focuses on the genesis, reception and interpretation of Pile ou Face in relation to Colomb's biography, to her correspondence with Lady Ottoline Morrell and to the authors she had read and/or admired.