FORT (Paul). Tales of My Sister the Goose and My Brother the - Lot 101

FORT (Paul). Tales of My Sister the Goose and My Brother the Gander. Definitive edition of *Ballades françaises et Chroniques de France*, Vol. XI. Foreword by André Fontainas. Paris, Flammarion, 1947. In-8, paperback, 267 pp., cover printed in blue and green, with wide margins, partially untrimmed. Frontispiece by Marie Laurencin, *The Storytelling Fairy*. FIRST EDITION OF THIS COLLECTION IN THE DEFINITIVE EDITION OF THE FRENCH BALLADS AND CHRONICLES OF FRANCE. The BnF does indeed list this Volume XI as published in 1947, with a foreword by André Fontainas. The volume includes, notably, *Si Peau d’Âne m’était conté*, *Le Poème du toit de chaume*, *À la manière d'Alcofribas et d'Arouet*—previously unpublished—, *Chansons à la gauloise*, *Charlemagne ou le rêveur et l'innocent*, and *Airs de flûte et de cornet à bouquin*—all previously unpublished. ONE OF THE 425 COPIES PRINTED ON PURE WHITE LINEN PAPER FROM THE PAPETERIES DE LANA RESERVED FOR THE “GROUPE DES AMIS DE PAUL FORT”; THIS SPECIFIC COPY IS A.P.F. NO. 263. The certificate of authenticity specifies a print run of 480 copies on pure white Lana rag paper, including 50 numbered from 1 to 50, 5 numbered from I to V, and 425 reserved for the Friends of Paul Fort, in addition to 110 copies on alfa paper. This pure chiffon edition is clearly noted in specialized bibliographic entries. A REMARKABLE COPY ENRICHED BY A LONG AUTOGRAPH DEDICATION SIGNED BY PAUL FORT On the half-title page, the poet wrote in ink: “With the most respectful regards, warmest remembrance, and best wishes for 1948 from his old troubadour friend to Mrs. J. Macloud. Paul Fort Poetry is a song that one speaks. P. F. January 27, 1948.” A particularly elaborate dedication, dated a few months after publication and accompanied by this lovely handwritten phrase: “Poetry is a song that is spoken.” The copy also includes a second handwritten annotation signed with Paul Fort’s initials, in which the poet celebrates his native Champagne: “Yes, it is indeed from my province, Champagne, from Reims, that I draw this lover’s heart for France at all times. ” This second inscription gives the copy a significantly higher value than that of a simple autographed copy. Other copies of this edition with autographed dedications by Paul Fort can be found on the market, notably those dated 1948. A PRECIOUS COPY PRINTED ON PURE RAG PAPER, RESERVED FOR PAUL FORT’S FRIENDS, ENRICHED WITH TWO IMPORTANT AUTOGRAPH INSCRIPTIONS BY THE POET. Cover and spine preserved. Copy remains paperback and with all margins intact. Fair condition: cover is discolored and pitted, spine is rubbed, head and foot caps and corners are worn, with small tears and marginal damage; pages are brittle with a noticeable gap between some leaves, and some foxing. The autographs, however, are very legible and well-preserved.