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Individual Dust Jackets

Click on any of the images to see it full-size:

1900? Dust-jacket from "Chantez-Moi Ça, Petits Enfants!" presenting "Le Loup Devenu Berger."  To be sung to the tune of "Il Était un' Bergère."  Bichelberger, E. Champon et Cie, Étival (Vosges).  €10 from Albert van den Bosch, Antwerp, June, '23.

The back cover of this dust jacket has the fourteen verses, the last of them incorrectly labeled "VIX."  The color work on the wolf-shepherd seems to me excellent.  Of course I would love to see more in this colorful series -- and gather them into this collection!

1920? Dust-jacket with "Le Petit Poisson et le Pecheur" illustrated on its cover.  Text on the back cover.  Imageries Réunies de Jarville-Nancy.  €2 from maribrengue-0 through Ebay, Sept., '22. 

This is the simplest and lightest of our dust-jackets.  While it has the text of La Fontaine's fable on its verso, there are no flaps and there is nothing printed on the inside of this simple sheet.  The image seems to be a classic of Imageries Réunies de Jarville-Nancy.

1925? Dust-jacket with WL illustration and, on the verso, mathematical tables.  $6 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne-Ricouart, France, Sept., '20.

This simple dust-jacket may have the least identifying material of any in the collection!  I find nothing suggesting either printer or artist.  Help!

1930?  Dust-jacket representing Jean de La Fontaine and advertising Blédine Blécao, apparently available at "Les Ets Jacquemaire a Villefrance (Rhône)."  $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, Feb., '05.

Characters from some of La Fontaine's most famous fables are arranged under his portrait.  The back of the dust-jacket quotes his promythium to TH: "Running solves nothing.  You need to depart on time."  The inside flap encourages babies to ask "Maman" to make sure that this is a "bébé BLÉDINE."

1930? Dust-jacket presenting "The Coach and the Fly" in red and blue from Solitaire Shoe Preservative.  Artist F. Sébille.  $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, Feb., '05.

The verso presents the text along with comparative presentations of a shoe without and with Solitaire protection.  The fly on the front of the jacket is quite outsized!  I can find nothing on F. Sébille.

1934? French BF dust-jacket, 9½" x 7 1/8", apparently for a school book, advertising "A la Belle Jardinière," a clothing store for men, women and children. The cover's black-and-white illustration is signed by Claude Garnier. The booklet's cover is signed as belonging to Marie Louise Venet (or Knet?). Imageries Réunies de Jarville-Nancy. 20 Francs from Mimi Gras, Chambly, France, through Ebay, Nov., '01.

This "protege-cahier" pictures the jay at a peacocks' ball or court. Like the other dust-jacket sent by Mimi, it has a checkerboard background. The back cover offers the text of La Fontaine's fable under addition and multiplication tables. Mimi mentioned to me that this, along with the accompanying FC dust-jacket, belonged to her mother in 1934. The inside has simple 6" fold-in flaps with more advertising. Like the cover, the advertising here also mentions "Grand' Place, Le Cateau."

1934? French FC dust-jacket, 9½" x 7½", apparently for a school book, advertising "Pastilles Salmon" for protection against coughing. Imageries Réunies de Jarville-Nancy. Gift of Mimi Gras, Chambly, France, Nov., '01.

This "protege-cahier" puts a colored image of FC on its cover against a checkerboard background. The back cover offers the text of La Fontaine's fable under addition and multiplication tables. Mimi mentioned to me that this, along with the accompanying BF dust-jacket, belonged to her mother in 1934. The inside has simple 1½" stapled flaps.

1935? Dust-jacket provided by "Cadet de France" offering clothes for young people.  FC monochrome design.  $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, Feb., '05.

A rather primitive design signed by "CR" shows the cheese in mid-air falling to the waiting fox.  The back cover offers La Fontaine's verse text and tables of addition and subtraction.  The end-flaps offer chances to list the program for morning and evening each day of the week.

1935? Orange and blue dust-jacket provided by "la Neige de Savoie" illustrating FC, in which the cheese that the fox has acquired is "la Neige de Savoie" in its usual round cheese-container.  $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, Feb., '05.

The back cover of this dust-jacket shows the portions of France.  Inside flaps explain that if you want to grow up to have strong teeth, you will eat "la Neige de Savoie".  The fox here seems particularly eager to get what the crow does not want to give up!

1935? Dust-jacket provided by "Car" licorice.  The cover presents "The Rat and the Oyster" in a black and blue illustration designed by C. Levoir (?).  $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, Feb., '05.

The back of the dust-jacket presents tables of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.  The design on the cover is simple enough.  Neither critter is going to win this encounter!

1940  Vintage French dust-jacket.  Red.  FC image by M. Lemainque.  Pharmacie Moderne H.-V. Plassard, Paray-le-Monial.  €5 from an unknown source, Nov., '21.

This is about as simple as it gets in the genre of protège-cahiers.  The inside flaps contain a ruler and a set of basic measurement tables.  The back cover has tables of multiplication and division after the text of La Fontaine's FC.

1950?  Dust jacket presenting TMCM by Felix Lorioux.  Advertisement on verso for Biscuits de l'Alsacienne.  Texts for TMCM and TH.  €8 from blandjul through Ebay, August, '22.

Good color work!  Lorioux is always fun.  The figure of La Fontaine on the verso is puzzling.

1950?  Dust jacket presenting "la pie qui chante."  Three colors.  €8 from blandjul through Ebay, August, '22.

The recto explains "Cleverer than Master Crow, the magpie who sings keeps his bonbons for wise children."  The verso shows the candy factory of "la pie qui chante" and explains the phased pleasures of eating this candy.  Is that tree on the recto growing the white candies?

1952? French dust-jacket, 9½" x 7", apparently for a school book, advertising "Amora: La Moutarde de Dijon."  €5 at St. Ouen, August, '17.  One duplicate for $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, Feb., '05.

The colorful mix of reds, yellows, and greens follows the pattern on Amora's blotter of the same era.  Here La Fontaine appears in a medallion in the upper center.  Around him are five fables.  Four are named and illustrated:  WL; "The Fox and the Goat"; LM; and "The Little Fish and the Angler."  Another, FC, is pictured on a glass container of Amora mustard.  As the back of the cover makes clear, there is a set of twelve glasses in the set, each with a different fable.  Now that would be a set to find!

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