La Belle Histoire que Voilà...
Nancy: Librairie Berger-Levrault, circa 1920. Single volume, measuring 12.5 x 9.5 inches: [6], 7-60, [4]. Original green cloth spine, color pictorial boards, color pictorial endpapers. Color pochoir illustrations throughout text. Toning and edgewear to boards, short closed tear to front free endpaper, bookseller notes to rear free endpaper. Expert repair to hinges.
First edition of this striking collection of André Hellé’s tales for children. Designer and illustrator Hellé is best remembered for his collaboration with Claude Debussy on La Boîte à Joujoux (1913), inspired by one of Hellé’s children’s stories, and for his distinctive graphic style, characterized by strong line cuts and vivid colors. This collection includes six fantastical tales: “Les Belles Histoires que Voilà,” “Les Corbeaux dans la Forêt,” “Le Paradis Perdu,” “La Reconnaissance des Bêtes,” “L’Escargot Bleu,” and “Le Plus Beau Bouquet du Monde.” Hellé illustrates his tales with energy and humor, though his caricatures of black sailors and servants would not be published today. Text in French. Osterwalder, II, 510-511. A very good example of one of Hellé’s most characteristic picture books.
Price: $300.00