La Merveilleuse Histoire du bon S. Florentin d'Alsace. Racontee aux petits enfants par l'Oncle Hansi, avec beaucoup d'Images par Hansi et Huen by Hansi / Huen - 1925

Couverture rigide. Bon/1913. in-folio. Paris, 1913, in-folio, 99pp, Reliure éditeur décorée, Superbe exemplaire, très frais!

Paris: H. Floury, 1912. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. Hansi and Victor Huen. Folio, 35 by 28.5 cm. 104 pp., with color lithographic illustrations on virtually every page, often with the illustration an underlay, in part or whole, to the text, and some illustrations on two pages. While a children's book, this was written when Alsace and Lorraine were a part of Germany, having been ceded by France as the settlement following France's humiliating defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 to 1871, and so Hansi's book was very much a political statement of allegiance to France, which at the time of his writing this was on the verge of entering World War One against Germany, and three years after the publication of this copy, France would regain Alsace. This and Hansi's many other books make him an unique and most beloved writer/illustrator of Alsace and France in general, and his magical illustrations convey the values of Alsatian folk art in their color and simplicity. Condition:… Read More

Paris: H. Floury, 1916. Very good plus.. First edition of this French large-format picture book history of the contested Alsace region, then under German occupation - published at a time when even speaking French in the region was against the law. From the cover illustration of l'Oncle Hansi reading to children dressed in traditional Alsatian garb, to the final passage detailing the Germans' violent oppression of French language and culture, L'HISTOIRE D'ALSACE makes a powerful historical case for the French identity of the region. An especially nice copy of a book generally found in poor condition. 13.5'' x 10.75''. Original blue cloth pictorial boards, expertly rebacked with original spine laid down. Edges stained red. Black-and-white pictorial endpapers with stork pattern. Illustrated in color. 104 pages. Binding with mild edgewear, a hint of soil. Small bookseller's label to front pastedown, removed label to verso of front flyleaf. Leaves evenly toned. Clean and bright.