MAC ORLAN (Pierre) — BOUCHER (Lucien). *The Cross, the Ancho - Lot 181

MAC ORLAN (Pierre) — BOUCHER (Lucien). *The Cross, the Anchor, and the Grenade*. Five Tales. Paris: Published by Devambez for the Laboratoire de l’Hépatrol, 1932. In-8 format, 79-[4] pages, loose-leaf, with a cover lined with orange paper, a color-illustrated vignette pasted onto the front cover, and the publisher’s orange cardboard slipcase. Printed by Devambez on May 25, 1932. First edition of this charming collection of five tales by Pierre Mac Orlan, illustrated by Lucien Boucher, one of the great draftsmen and poster artists of the Art Deco period. Specialized bibliographies describe a limited print run of 500 copies on Lafuma pure-thread vellum. The volume brings together five stories spanning several centuries of military and maritime adventures: Eustache des Essarts, Soldier of Saint Louis (1270); Jean-Rose Archer, Brother of the Coast (1666); Bel OEillet, Drummer in Karrer’s Regiment (1781); Antoine Couvreur, Skirmisher in the 7th Light Infantry Regiment (1830); and Franz Ixe, Legionnaire (1925). A beautiful Art Deco illustration by Lucien Boucher, fully integrated into the typography: full-page and in-text color compositions, headers, landscapes, borders, and large illustrated initials. The book is particularly appealing for the freshness of its layout and Boucher’s color palette, blending blue, pink, ochre, green, and black in an aesthetic characteristic of the 1930s. A beautiful, well-preserved copy, complete with its original slipcase—an item that is often missing. Very slight scuffing and signs of wear on the slipcase and dust jacket; the interior is in excellent condition, with illustrations that remain particularly vivid. A beautiful Art Deco illustrated book, bringing together two figures particularly representative of the interwar period: Pierre Mac Orlan and Lucien Boucher.