Aesop's Fables > Books of Fables > Series Books > Pellerin of Épinal

Pellerin of Épinal

 

Earlier Volumes:

1850? Fables de Lafontaine: Imagerie d'Épinal. Seven hand colored illustrations. Pamphlet. 6me Série. Pellerin & Companie. £120 from Roe and Moore, London, June, '02.

The helpful person at Roe and Moore convinced me that this is a hand-colored Épinal from before the age of chromolithography. Its seven images are breathtaking! I recognize two from having them on Épinal plates. Thus I know now the pictorial source of those later plate images. TH is found on a plate by the Societé Francaise de Porcelaine (http://aesop.creighton.edu/jcupub/societe.htm) and OF is found on a Sologne plate in a series with four other plates bearing Épinal designs not found in this pamphlet (http://aesop.creighton.edu/jcupub/sologne.htm). The other five here include "Les Deux Mulets," "Le Corbeau Voulant Imiter l'Aigle," "Le Loup Devenu Berger," "Le Lion Malade et le Renard," and OR. There is a lovely redoing of "Le Corbeau Voulant Imiter l'Aigle" on the front cover. The back cover has a wooden trellis framing the page with various creatures in or on the frame. The pamphlet adds one pictureless fable before (DLS) and one after (BF) the seven illustrated fables. This is one of the treasures of this collection! 7¼" x 10". I can find it in neither Bodemann nor Bassy.

1850? Fables de Lafontaine: Imagerie d'Épinal: 6me Série, No. 2. Seven hand colored illustrations. Paperbound. 6me Série, No. 2: Pellerin & Companie. $30 from N2 Books, Birmingham, AL, through eBay, July, '12.

Luckily, I have a copy -- presumably No. 1, since it is unnumbered -- from Pellerin's sixth series. It is uniform in format with this and a companion volume, No. 5 in the sixth series. The particular points of identity between this volume and that presumed No. 1 are the "spine" stripe declaring "Propriété de l'Éditeur (Déposé)" and the design on the back page. This design -- a wooden trellis framing the page with various creatures in or on the frame -- is particularly revealing because the two frogs at the bottom are differently colored. This fact suggests the hand-coloring that I mention in reviewing the first volume. Otherwise the coloring seems similar. Together these two additional members of the sixth series cost one-third of what the earlier copy cost. Again, the seven images are beautiful! They are WL; FC; "Le Lion et le Moucheron"; TMCM; "Le Héron"; WC; and "Le Cheval et le Loup." The front cover presents characters from three of these fables --the crow with cheese, the picky heron, and the wolf and lamb -- and adds two doves in the upper left corner. The pamphlet adds one pictureless fable before ("Les Oreilles du Lièvre") and one after ("Le Chameau et les Batons Flottants") the seven illustrated fables. These booklets are lovely treasures! 7¼" x 10". I can find them in neither Bodemann nor Bassy. I do notice that Bodemann lists Pellerin's fourth series as done in about 1910. 

1850? Fables de Lafontaine: Imagerie d'Épinal: 6me Série, No. 5. Seven hand colored illustrations. Paperbound. 6me Série, No. 2: Pellerin & Companie. $30 from N2 Books, Birmingham, AL, through eBay, July, '12.

Luckily, I have a copy -- presumably No. 1, since it is unnumbered -- from Pellerin's sixth series. It is uniform in format with this and a companion volume, No. 2 in the sixth series. The particular point of identity among all three copies is the "spine" stripe declaring "Propriété de l'Éditeur (Déposé)." Together these two additional members of the sixth series cost one-third of what the earlier copy cost. Again, the seven images are beautiful! They are "Le Villageois & le Serpent"; "La Vieille et les Deux Servantes"; "Le Loup, la Chèvre & le Chevreau"; "La Mort et le Bucheron" (perhaps the finest of the seven here); "Le Cheval et l'Ane"; "Le Lion et le Chasseur"; and "L'Oiseleur, l'Autour et l'Alouette." The front cover presents the last of these, but the very illustration itself for the fable includes a fascinating element. There seems to be a carpenter's file next to the birdcatcher. This same file appears on the bottom of the back cover, together with the snake that attacked it in the carpenter's shop. I find it curious that that fable does not appear in this book! A hatchet does appear on this back cover, and that was an element in the illustration of the first fable here: the countryman was using it to attack the snake in his house. The pamphlet adds one pictureless fable before ("Le Torrent et la Rivière") and one after ("Le Soleil et les Grenouilles") the seven illustrated fables. Is the quality of these two booklets -- #2 and #5 -- lower than the quality of the supposed #1? 7¼" x 10". I can find this series in neither Bodemann nor Bassy. I do notice that Bodemann lists Pellerin's fourth series as done in about 1910.

[1880? Fables de La Fontaine No. 4.  Jean de La Fontaine.  Olivier-Pinot of Épinal.  Paperbound.  Épinal: Olivier-Pinot, Imprimeur Editeur.  $40 from Robin Bledsoe, Boston, July, '16.

Ironically, this is the book that has pushed me to gather together our books by Pellerin of Épinal.  The irony is that this book is technically not by Pellerin.  "La Maison Olivier-Pinot" existed in Épinal from 1875 to 1888, at which time it was subsumed by Pellerin.  This book, so typical of what Pellerin would later produce -- and produced earlier? -- has Olivier-Pinot on its cover exactly where Pellerin puts its name, for example, in "Fables de La Fontaine 3me Serie," a reprint later enough to have an ISBN number.  This very frail booklet of 16 pages contains the following illustrated fables: "The Oyster and the Litigants"; "The Monkey and the Cat"; "Fortune and the Child"; "The Partridge and the Roosters"; "The Countryman and the Serpent"; "The Stag and the Vine"; "The Cobbler and the Banker"; and "The Dog Who Carries His Master's Lunch."  "The Fox and the Bust" and "Death and the Unhappy Man" are included but not illustrated.  The illustrations are bright and lively.  Does it fit that these Olivier-Pinot illustrations occur seldom elsewhere in the properly Pellerin booklets and books that we have?  Not in Bodemann.]

1890? Fables de La Fontaine. Hardbound. Série Supérieure aux Armes d'Épinal: Imagerie d'Épinal, Pellerin & Cie. £70 from Unicorn Books, Hatch End, Pinner, UK, Dec., '01. Extra copy with loose early pages for $28 from Jean Heneault, Montreal, Sept., '02, through Ebay.

This large (16½" x 12½") book represents a wonderful find. It brings together the broadsides or posters I have found from Pellerin/Épinal. And so it fills in the several lacunae left in that series of twenty-five posters. The good copy is in fair to good condition, while the extra is in poor condition. I had feared that I would not complete that series of posters, and I never thought I would do it with a book!

1890? Fables de La Fontaine. Paperbound. Série Supérieure aux Armes d'Épinal: Imagerie d'Épinal, Pellerin & Cie. $90 from above777 through eBay, Oct., '08.

Here is a slightly different copy of a book I have listed already. Like it, this exemplar is large (16½" x 12½"). Like the hardbound version, this softbound copy brings together the broadsides or posters I have found from Pellerin/Épinal. And so, like the hardbound copy, this version fills in the several lacunae left in that series of twenty-five posters. This copy has softer covers and lacks the line across the bottom of the cover: "Dépot de l'Imagerie d'Épinal -- A. Capendu -- 3, Rue des Haudriettes. 3 -- Paris." This copy has a blank page not found in the other but lacks the title page found there. It thus begins with WL. Though the early pages suffer from a weak binding, the coloring of its individual pages is very good. I notice a bit of pencilling on 9. I am quite taken with Pellerin/Épinal's coloring wherever it occurs, whether in broadsides, books, or plates!

Série Populaire

1895? 5 Fables de La Fontaine.  Paperbound.  Série Populaire:  Imagerie d'Épinal, Pellerin & Cie.  €15 from Saint-Ouen, France, August, '15.

This is one of three pamphlets of the same size, all marked "Série Populaire" and all about 5¾" x 8".  Each of the other pamphlets has eight fables, while this has only five.  A dramatic picture of "The Thieves and the Ass" is on the cover, with the beginning of La Fontaine's text for the fable.  The texts are always presented.  For these five, the texts are actually quite long.  The verso of both covers is plain, and the back cover is a simple pattern of a window looking into blue, without any further markings.  OR is dramatized with a nobleman opening an umbrella that sweeps him away while a groundling looks on.  "The Bear and the Gardener" receives two pages and three illustrations, as does "The Wolf, the Goat, and the Little Goat."  All are done with quite precise coloring and Pellerin's typical brightness and sense of area.  The final fable, "The Old Man and the Three Young Men," receives five illustrations.  The first shows the confrontation: "Why does he plant a tree?"  The next three show the deaths of the young men.  The fifth may be the best illustration of this booklet: The old man writes onto the grave marker of the three young men.  These pamphlets are hard for me to date!

1895? Fables de La Fontaine: 8 Fables Choisies.  Paperbound.  Série Populaire:  Imagerie d'Épinal, Pellerin & Cie.  €15 from Saint-Ouen, France, August,'15.

This is one of three pamphlets of the same size, all marked "Série Populaire" and all about 5¾" x 8".  This pamphlet has eight fables, with "The Fox and the Bust" pictured and presented on the cover in many colors.  As in the others of the series, the texts are always presented.  The verso of both covers is plain, and the back cover is a simple pattern of a window without color and with no further markings.  The first page presents two fables, each with an illustration: "The Cock and the Fox" and "The Countryman and the Snake."  Each of the next three pairs of pages presents one fable with multiple illustrations: TH; "The Monkey and the Cat"; and "The Saddlebag."  Then, balancing the first page with its two fables is the last page with its two: "The Peacock and Juno" and "The Serpent and the File."  As always in Pellerin booklets, the color illustrations are strong and lively.  Among the best are the several human pictures for "The Saddlebag" and the image for "The Serpent and the File."  Several of the illustrations are signed "Bac."  These pamphlets are hard for me to date!

1895? 8 Fables de La Fontaine.  Paperbound.  Série Populaire:  Imagerie d'Épinal, Pellerin & Cie.  €15 from Saint-Ouen, France, August, '15.

This is one of three pamphlets of the same size, all marked "Série Populaire" and all about 5¾" x 8".  This pamphlet is internally identical but better printed than "Fables de La Fontaine: 8 Fables Choisies."  The cover here displays not "The Fox and the Bust" but rather "The Oyster and the Litigants" through text and some well chosen symbols.  The verso of both covers is plain, and the back cover is a simple pattern of a window looking into blue, without any further markings.  As in the others of the series, the texts are always presented.  The first page presents two fables, each with an illustration: "The Cock and the Fox" and "The Countryman and the Snake."  Each of the next three pairs of pages presents one fable with multiple illustrations: TH; "The Monkey and the Cat"; and "The Saddlebag."  Then, balancing the first page with its two fables is the last page with its two: "The Peacock and Juno" and "The Serpent and the File."  As always in Pellerin booklets, the color illustrations are strong and lively.  Among the best are the several human pictures for "The Saddlebag" and the image for "The Serpent and the File."  Several of the illustrations are signed "Bac."  These pamphlets are hard for me to date!

Twentieth Century:

1920? Fables de La Fontaine, 6me Série.  Pellerin of Épinal.  Paperbound.  Épinal: 6me Série:  Pellerin & Cie.  $19.99 from Becky Mayeux, Port Allen, LA, through eBay, Dec., '13.  

There are sixteen pages inside this lovely old pamphlet.  The colored images are on the left-hand pages in the first half and on the right-hand pages in the latter half.  A wolf-shepherd with a striped shirt sits on the front cover, while a lion's head is above the bannered title.  Unpictured are GGE at the beginning and "Le Renard et le Buste" at the end.  The pictured fables are "The Thieves and the Ass"; "The Swan and the Cook"; LM; "The Fox and the Cock"; "The Fisherman and the Little Fish"; "The Ass and the Little Dog"; and "The Stag Viewing Himself in the Water."  The exquisite detail of the last of these images contrasts with the simplicity -- not necessarily in a good sense -- of the image for "The Thieves and the Ass."  The "sixth series" is listed on the back cover.  I am learning that it is very difficult to date Pellerin publications.  Google Images has a picture of this pamphlet's cover without "6me Série."

1920? Fables de La Fontaine.  Paperbound.  Epinal: Imagerie Pellerin.  $9.99 from Barbara Lemonakis, Yia Yia's Attic, Canonsburg, PA, through eBay, June, '14. 

This lovely pamphlet of 32 pages is in a sad state but was a wonderful find at a wonderful price.  It is hard to date.  Some help may come from the back cover, which mentions "Fables de La Fontaine No. 1" and "Fables de La Fontaine No. 2," as well as, in preparation, "Les Robinsons Suisses," "Robinson Crusoé," and "Gulliver."  As in other Pellerin materials, the colors are lovely.  The book is disintegrating each time I turn its pages.  Its illustrations are: "The Bear and Lover of Gardens"; DW; GA; "The Hare and the Frogs"; "The Fox and the Goat"; "The Two Doves"; "The Monkey and the Cat"; WL; FC; "The Lion and the Mosquito"; TMCM; "The Heron"; WS; and "The Horse and the Wolf."  The illustration for GA, for example, is new to me, while FC and "The Heron" I have seen many times over.  The colorists enjoy giving characters striped trousers.  The special attraction of Pellerin illustrations has something to do, I believe, with large areas of strong, bright, simple colors. The cover presents an assemblage of many of the above characters, with "Fables" spelled out by wooden boards.  Even here, the Heron has striped pants!

1950's and 1960's:

1954? Fables de la Fontaine, 4me Série N°1.  Paperbound.  Epinal: Imagerie Pellerin à Épinal.  €22.50 from Chez Libraires Associés, Clignancourt, June, '07. 

Here is a third version of the same work and, by all indications, the earliest.  I have it as done in 1978 and 1982.  Though this copy bears no date, someone has handwritten in pencil "5-8-55 135 fr. A Wetterwald."  I take it that this is perhaps a 1954 edition or thereabouts.  This edition has a yellow paper cover featuring the rooster and the fox.  The same illustration appears again on 17.  The mention of a "4me Série" is new, though the "#1" fits with the other two versions.  (I have the 1982 but not the 1978 version of #2.)  The best-colored illustrations in this set include the cover illustration, WL (2), "Les Voleurs et l'Ane" (10), and "Le Cerf se voyant dans l'Eau" (23).  I will include several comments I made about the later volumes.  This 32-page booklet offers seventeen well-chosen fables of La Fontaine.  The first fable, GA, is illustrated with a black-and-white tableau; the last, "La Guenon, le Singe & la Noix," has an inky black-and-white illustration.  The fifteen in between have each a strong full-page colored illustration typical of Epinal work, with large areas of bright simple colors.  I take it that these are all reprints by Epinal of an earlier work of its own.

1954? Fables de la Fontaine, 4me Série N°2.  Paperbound.  Epinal: Imagerie Pellerin à Épinal.  €22.50 from Chez Libraires Associés, Clignancourt, June, '07.

Here is a second version of the same work and, by all indications, the earlier.  I have it as done in 1982.  (I also have the first copy of "No 1" for both times, and the "No 1" of a 1978 printing.) Though this copy bears no date, someone has handwritten in pencil "5-8-55 135 fr. A Wetterwald."  I take it that this is perhaps a 1954 edition or thereabouts.  This edition has a yellow paper cover featuring the goat and the fox.  The same illustration appears again on 6.  The mention of a "4me Série" is new, though the "#2" fits with the other version.  The best-colored illustrations in this set include "Le Corbeau Voulant Imiter l'Aigle" (17), "Le Lion Malade et le Renard" (21), and "L'Oiseleur, l'Autour & l'Alouette" (31).  This 32-page booklet offers seventeen well-chosen fables of La Fontaine.  Again two black-and-white illustrations bracket fifteen full-page colored illustrations.  The special attraction of Pellerin illustrations has something to do, I believe, with large areas of strong, bright, simple colors. I take it that these are all reprints by Epinal of an earlier work of its own.

1954? Fables Choisies de la Fontaine.  Paperbound.  Epinal: Imagerie Pellerin à Épinal.  €15 from a buchinist, Paris, July, '22.

Our collection has two volumes in the "4me Serie," both dated in this collection to "1954?"  This collection takes these two 32-page booklets and joins them together without changing their pagination.  Thus the first 32-page portion offers seventeen well-chosen fables of La Fontaine. The first fable, GA, is illustrated with a black-and-white tableau; the last, "La Guenon, le Singe & la Noix," has an inky black-and-white illustration. The fifteen in between have each a strong full-page colored illustration typical of Epinal work, with large areas of bright simple colors.  The second 32-page booklet offers another seventeen well-chosen fables of La Fontaine. Again two black-and-white illustrations bracket fifteen full-page colored illustrations.  I take it that these are all reprints by Epinal of an earlier work of its own.  The cover illustration, by contrast, is very carefully executed.  It is the identical illustration for the cover of the second shorter pamphlet, "The Fox and the Goat in the Well."  Unfortunately, the interior illustrations inside the present volume are not as careful as is usual for Pellerin's usual work.  Contrast the illustration for "The Fox and the Goat in the Well" on 6 of the second volume with the sharper illustration on this booklet's cover.  Gone is any reference to "4me Série."

Collection "Tante Laura":

1959 Fables de La Fontaine No. 1. Imagerie Pellerin. Hardbound. Épinal: Collection Tante Laura, Épi #70: Imagerie Pellerin. $14.75 from ArtWorkInternational, Inc., Santa Fe, NM, through eBay, July, '12.

This is an unusual series of four books within the larger series "Collection Tante Laura." Each book is about 7" square. The covers are stiff; at first I thought that each book was meant to house a 45 rpm record. Six fables are presented on 16 pages. After an introduction, this first volume presents TH; MM; OR; "Le Coche et la Mouche"; "Le Héron"; and "Le Lion et le Moucheron." The cover here pictures MM with a whole brood of chicks around a mother hen. The back cover has a colorful TH illustration. Internally there is a full-page picture for each of the six fables, the first three on the left-hand and the last three on the right-hand page. They tend to excerpt classic Pellerin presentations. Thus the illustration here for TH shows the bunny running desperately out of the reeds in the direction of a far off tortoise waving a handkerchief and using a walking stick. I recognize the larger illustration from which this illustration is selected because that larger illustration appears on a dinner plate in this collection. As always with Pellerin, the colors are exquisite. There are various styles within Pellerin's approach to illustration. There is a T of C at the back.

1959 Fables de La Fontaine No. 2. Imagerie Pellerin. Hardbound. Épinal: Collection Tante Laura, Épi #71: Imagerie Pellerin. $14.75 from ArtWorkInternational, Inc., Santa Fe, NM, through eBay, July, '12.

This is an unusual series of four books within the larger series "Collection Tante Laura." Each book is about 7" square. The covers are stiff; at first I thought that each book was meant to house a 45 rpm record. As in the first volume, six fables are presented on the first 15 pages. After an introduction, this second volume presents OF; DW; WL; FC; "Les Animaux malades de la peste"; and "Le Charretier Embourbé." These six are listed on the front cover. In a surprise move, the final page presents "La Mort et le Malherureux" where the first volume had a list of the volume's fables. The cover here pictures FC in a scene I recognize from Pellerin elsewhere; this same scene is presented again inside the book in larger format. This illustration and WL may be the strongest in this volume. The back cover has a colorful WL illustration. Internally there is a full-page picture for each of the first six fables, the first three on the left-hand and the last three on the right-hand page. They tend to excerpt classic Pellerin presentations. As always with Pellerin, the colors are exquisite. There are various styles within Pellerin's approach to illustration.

1960 Fables de La Fontaine No. 3. Imagerie Pellerin. Hardbound. Épinal: Collection Tante Laura, Épi #71: Imagerie Pellerin. $14.75 from ArtWorkInternational, Inc., Santa Fe, NM, through eBay, July, '12.

This is an unusual series of four books within the larger series "Collection Tante Laura." Each book is about 7" square. The covers are stiff; at first I thought that each book was meant to house a 45 rpm record. In this third volume one finds eight fables on twelve pages; they are listed on the front cover. The first fable -- "The Hare and the Frogs" -- has its illustrations only on the front cover; "The Monkey and the Leopard" has its illustration on the back cover. "The Pig, the Goat, and the Lamb" has no illustration at all. The other five receive illustrations: "The Farmer and the Serpent"; FG (integrated with its text on one page); "La Besace"; BC; and GGE. This last remains a strong illustration, picturing frustration and disappointment. As in the two earlier volumes, both published in 1959, illustrations in the first half of the book occur on left-hand pages, and those in the second half occur on right-hand pages. As always with Pellerin, the colors are exquisite. There are various styles within Pellerin's approach to illustration.

1961 Fables de La Fontaine No. 4. Imagerie Pellerin. Hardbound. Épinal: Collection Tante Laura, Épi #87: Imagerie Pellerin. $14.75 from ArtWorkInternational, Inc., Santa Fe, NM, through eBay, July, '12.

This is an unusual series of four books within the larger series "Collection Tante Laura." Each book is about 7" square. The covers are stiff; at first I thought that each book was meant to house a 45 rpm record. In this fourth volume one finds five fables in twelve pages; they are listed on the front cover. The first fable, GA, is pictured in color on the cover and then given two black-and-white drawings inside the booklet. "Parole de Socrate" is mistakenly made into a plural in the listing of fables on the cover. After "The Worker and His Children," which features an insert on La Fontaine in the illustration, MSA is offered with a full-page colored illustration of the father and son carrying the beast on a pole. The back cover contains a second fine colored illustration of the two being criticized for both riding the ass. "The Animals Sick of the Plague" has another full page of colored illustration, as does "Death and the Dying Man." As in the earlier volumes, published in 1959 and 1960, colored illustrations in the first half of the book occur on left-hand pages, and those in the second half occur on right-hand pages. As always with Pellerin, the colors are exquisite. There are various styles within Pellerin's approach to illustration. There is a curious black-and-white illustration of a colporteur on the inside front-cover, with a wicker-basket on his back.

Most Recent Volumes:

1970? Fables de La Fontaine 3me Série.  Pellerin of Épinal.  Paperbound.  Épinal: Pellerin.  €10.40 from Bücher-Insel, Kassel, through AbeBooks, July, '16.

This 32-page booklet may be one of the easier Pellerin publications to date because it has two ISBN numbers on its back cover.  It seems to replicate, except for the ISBN numbers, "Fables de la Fontaine, 4me Série N°1," for which I have guessed a date of 1954.  As I wrote there, the best-colored illustrations in this set include the cover illustration, WL (2), "Les Voleurs et l'Ane" (10), and "Le Cerf se voyant dans l'Eau" (23).  This booklet offers seventeen well-chosen fables of La Fontaine.  The first fable, GA, is illustrated with a black-and-white tableau; the last, "La Guenon, le Singe & la Noix," has an inky black-and-white illustration.  The fifteen in between have each a strong full-page colored illustration typical of Epinal work, with large areas of bright simple colors.  I have two later versions of that 1954 work, for which I have guessed dates of 1978 and 82. Those have ISBN numbers, but each a single number while this has two, apparently one for a series and one for the individual booklet.  All four numbers are different.  Each of those has a date printed in the back of the booklet.

1978 Fables de la Fontaine N° 1. Hardbound. Printed in France. Epinal: Série Verte: Imagerie Pellerin. 100 Francs at Brancion Book Market, Paris, August, '99.

This is a curious and engaging book. It offers seventeen well-chosen fables of La Fontaine. The first, GA, is illustrated with a black-and-white tableau; the last, "La Guenon, le Singe & la Noix," has an inky black-and-white illustration. The fifteen in between have each a strong full-page colored illustration typical of Epinal work, with large areas of bright simple colors. Among the best of these is "Le Cerf se voyant dans l'Eau" (23), in which the stag, dressed colorfully as a human gentleman, leans over the pool. Another follows immediately: I have never seen a more active rat than the one leaping from the table here (25)! The cover is unusual in that it shows La Fontaine not out with animals but seated at a table full of pages of texts and animal illustrations. The name "Hachette" appears on the cover but not on the inside of the book; might this be a Hachette reprint of an earlier Epinal work?

1978 Fables de la Fontaine N°1.  Hardbound.  Epinal: Série Verte: Imagerie Pellerin.  $10 from Momox, July, '19.

This is a duplicate copy of a book already in the collection.  I keep it in for a specific reason.  The coloring of individual images is not identical in its application.  The colors are the same, but in one image they will fit perfectly with the black-and-white foundation of the image, and in the parallel image in the other copy they will miss slightly.  I do not know what color process Pellerin was using back in the days of the original of this booklet or what Hachette was using in 1978, but the effect is surprising when one examines the images closely.  I will repeat what I wrote of the first copy.  This is a curious and engaging book.  It offers seventeen well-chosen fables of La Fontaine.  The first, GA, is illustrated with a black-and-white tableau; the last, "La Guenon, le Singe & la Noix," has an inky black-and-white illustration.  The fifteen in between have each a strong full-page colored illustration typical of Epinal work, with large areas of bright simple colors.  Among the best of these is "Le Cerf se voyant dans l'Eau" (23), in which the stag, dressed colorfully as a human gentleman, leans over the pool.  Another follows immediately: I have never seen a more active rat than the one leaping from the table here (25)!  The cover is unusual in that it shows La Fontaine not out with animals but seated at a table full of pages of texts and animal illustrations.  The name "Hachette" appears on the cover but not on the inside of the book; might this be a Hachette reprint of an earlier Epinal work?

1982 Fables de la Fontaine No 1. Printed in France. Epinal: Imagerie Pellerin. $25 from Michel Bossu, Paris, August, '03.

This book seems to reproduce, with several changes, a similar edition dated 1978. This book lacks any reference to Hachette and "Série Verte." Like that volume, it offers seventeen well-chosen fables of La Fontaine. The first, GA, is illustrated with a black-and-white tableau; the last, "La Guenon, le Singe & la Noix," has an inky black-and-white illustration. The fifteen in between have each a strong full-page colored illustration typical of Epinal work, with large areas of bright simple colors. Among the best of these is "Le Cerf se voyant dans l'Eau" (23), in which the stag, dressed colorfully as a human gentleman, leans over the pool. Another follows immediately: I have never seen a more active rat than the one leaping from the table here (25)! The cover is unusual in that it shows La Fontaine not out with animals but seated at a table full of pages of texts and animal illustrations. I take it that this is a reprint by Epinal of an earlier work of its own.

1982 Fables de la Fontaine No 2. Paperbound. Printed in France. Epinal: Imagerie Pellerin. $25 from Michel Bossu, Paris, August, '03.

Here is the second volume accompanying a similar Pellerin reprint from the same year. Again two black-and-white illustrations bracket fifteen full-page colored illustrations. TH (14) is not only one of the liveliest illustrations. It is also the same illustration found on a table plate in the collection produced by the Societé Francaise de Porcelaine  I am also familiar with the Pellerin illustration used here for "Le Corbeau Voulant Imiter l'Aigle" (17). The special attraction of Pellerin illustrations has something to do, I believe, with large areas of strong, bright, simple colors. The cover presents GA in the human fashion so frequent in the French tradition, but I do not think I have seen this rendition before.

1982? Fables de la Fontaine N°2. Paperbound. Épinal: Imagerie Pellerin. $10 from Tackett's Trinkets, Statesville, NC, through eBay, April, '10.

This lovely little stapled booklet of 32 pages seems identical with another that I have except that this copy features an image of the wolf and the goat in the well on its cover, whereas that copy has GA in human fashion on its cover. I got that copy from Michell Bossu in Paris for $25. This one was much cheaper! Let me repeat my remarks from there. Here is the second volume accompanying a similar Pellerin reprint from the same year. Again two black-and-white illustrations bracket fifteen full-page colored illustrations. TH (14) is not only one of the liveliest illustrations. It is also the same illustration found on a Pellerin table plate in the collection. I am also familiar with the Pellerin illustration used here for "Le Corbeau Voulant Imiter l'Aigle" (17). The special attraction of Pellerin illustrations has something to do, I believe, with large areas of strong, bright, simple colors.

1985 Fables de la Fontaine N°2.  Paperbound.  Epinal: Imagerie Pellerin.  €13.75 from Bouquinerie du Paraclet, Sénas, France, March, '15.

This beautiful paperbound booklet is nearly identical with another in the collection.  Its key difference is that Pellerin seems to update the copyright for every printing.  In any case, both the cover and the rear colophon page here give a date of 1985, whereas that other copy in both places has 1982.  This copy also rearranges the three elements on the two sides of that last page.  Again two black-and-white illustrations bracket fifteen full-page colored illustrations.  TH (14) is not only one of the liveliest illustrations.  It is also the same illustration found on a Pellerin table plate in the collection (https://www.creighton.edu/aesop/artifacts/tableware/specifickindsoftableware/plates/societefrancaisedeporcelaine/).  I am also familiar with the Pellerin illustration used here for "Le Corbeau Voulant Imiter l'Aigle" (17).  The special attraction of Pellerin illustrations has something to do, I believe, with large areas of strong, bright, simple colors. The cover presents GA in the human fashion so frequent in the French tradition, but I do not think I have seen this rendition before.

Florian

1890? Fables de Florian, No. 1. Dessins de E. Morel. Paperbound. Épinal: 6me Série: Imagerie d'Épinal: Pellerin & Cie. $50 from Spellbinding Books, Cane Beds, Arizona, through eBay, August, '10.

Here Imagerie d'Épinal brings their strong sense of color to bear on illustrating eight of Florian's fables in a sixteen-page pamphlet some 7¼" x 10". The pamphlet is in very good condition. Animal heads, human bodies, and human clothing make for strong images. The first image has the dog answering the complaining sheep: "It is better to suffer evil than to do it." "The Charlatain" has a completely human picture and story: his all-powerful powder turns out to be.the great encyclopedia! A dog is sold and returns to his first owner, only to his chagrin to be returned to his new owner. An old cat friend chides "Did you think that it was for our sake that they loved us?" The famous story of the purse found by one of two travellers and claimed not as "ours" but "mine" leads to the good moral: "He who thinks only of himself in times of good luck has no friends in times of bad luck." One monkey tells another, who has just thrown a good nut away frustrated, that without a little work there is no pleasure. We have to crack the nut. Two geese criticize a peacock's limbs, only to be told that their limbs are uglier and that they will never have his tail. A young man reacts against his father's promotion of traditional virtues. "I would like to get rich without vice and without work." The wise father answers "Be a simple imbecile. I have seen many of them succeed!" As always, art from Imagerie d'Épinal is lovely!

Other:

1860? Fables en Images. H. Ferran et al. Paperbound. Imagerie Pellerin - Epinal. 130 Euros from Librairie La Poussière du Temps, July, '03.

The cover of this oversized (almost 12" x 15½") book shows FC, along with the text for this fable. Inside this cover there are twenty-three posters or broadsides. The little binding that there was in this supersized pamphlet is now gone, along with the staples; the pages are loose. The covers are wrapped in clear plastic. Fables are taken from La Fontaine, Florian, and one unnamed source. The broadside itself uses three stars for the latter; perhaps the seller refers to this author when he speaks of a third author named "Richer," whom I cannot otherwise find. A common feature of these pages is the pair of headings: "Imagerie Pellerin" on the left and "Imagerie d'Epinal" on the right, followed by various numbers. I can find no repeats from other posters I have found from Pellerin d'Epinal. The colors are, as always from this publisher, vivid. The best of the broadsides here include "Le Lièvre & les Grenouilles," especially for its lively colors; FG/BF for its dressed animals and birds; and WC/DLS, for its careful work representing dressed animals. The spread of artistic styles here is quite broad. This is a frail treasure!

1910? Fables: La Fontaine, Florian. Canvas spine. Apparent series title: "Imagerie Pellerin, Imagerie d'Épinal." Épinal: Pellerin. 500 Francs from Paris, July, '98.

Twenty posters (15½" x 11½") of wildly varying quality are here stapled together with a canvas spine around the staples. The front cover features a central cross of animals carrying each of the letters of "Fables" and at the four corners vignettes of dressed animals generally performing human actions. The back cover crowds in five more fables and illustrations, for those who have not had enough yet! Some illustrations inside this book are well conceived and very nicely executed, like the first: "Le Lièvre & les Grenouilles." Here the hare has become a soldier, and by the end of the poster, he is ready to execute a pleading frog. In others, like the second ("Le Chat & le Renard"), the art is primitive. This poster adds pictures of cats and foxes in other scenes beyond the fable and adds a picture and some information on La Fontaine. Some, like "Le Chat & un vieux Rat" near the end of the book, suffer from overly busy scenes and indistinct printing. Each poster is numbered either between 400 and 455 or between 3007 and 3088. Some have a cartoon-like quality, e.g., "Le Chat, la Belette & le petit Lapin" (#455). True to the cartoon medium, the story finishes in violence. Among the best realized is the six-cartoon series "Le Lion & l'Ane chassant" (#3025); here human dress, expression, and gesture come together well. I can make out the signature "A. Chauffour" on "Les deux Mulets" (#3056). Enjoy watching BF (#3061) as one bird kicks another's bottom!

end