SAND (George) — *La Petite Fadette*. 30 original color litho - Lot 259

SAND (George) — *La Petite Fadette*. 30 original color lithographs by Daniel-Girard SAND (George). *La Petite Fadette*. Illustrated with thirty original color lithographs by Daniel-Girard. Paris, Librairie des Amateurs, A. Ferroud—F. Ferroud (successor), 1938. In-8, approximately X-239 pp., 30 original color lithographs by Daniel-Girard, including a frontispiece, end-leaf illustrations, and illustrations within the text. Copy printed on Rives vellum, numbered 890. Bound in black half-shagreen with corner pieces, marbled paper covers, gilt fillets, spine with raised bands richly decorated with embossed and gilt floral motifs, gilt title. A beautiful illustrated edition of *La Petite Fadette*, adorned with thirty original color lithographs by Daniel-Girard. The edition is well cataloged at the BnF in this format and dated 1938. The print run, which is particularly interesting to examine in detail, is limited to 1,565 copies: 25 on Imperial Japan paper with an original watercolor and plates; 40 on white Dutch vellum with plates; and 1,500 copies on Rives vellum in the standard format, containing a proof copy of the illustrations. This copy, no. 890, belongs to this latter print run. It is therefore a copy from the main print run on fine paper, and not a limited edition. A nearly identical copy, no. 891, was previously described in an auction catalog with the same characteristics; another copy on Rives paper, no. 899, is currently available in bookstores. The illustrations by Daniel-Girard (1890–1970), an artist and illustrator active between the two world wars, are particularly well-suited to George Sand’s world in the Berry region: village scenes, rustic interiors, peasants, and rural landscapes are rendered in a soft palette of browns, blacks, and orange hues. *La Petite Fadette* is indeed one of the major books he illustrated. The interior is generally well-preserved, with the lithographs retaining their beautiful tones. However, there are scattered foxing spots—sometimes more prevalent on certain leaves—as well as a few small marks or marginal soiling. The main flaw concerns the binding: the spine and leather bands are heavily discolored and rubbed, with significant peeling and loss of color; the corners also show signs of rubbing. The decoration on the spine, however, remains legible, and the binding appears structurally sound. It is therefore a bibliographically interesting copy with a satisfactory interior, but in a very worn binding, which must be clearly stated in the catalog entry.