Contes des fées.

One of 50 deluxe copies . Charles Perrault's classic fairy tales are here illustrated with striking art deco pochoir plates by Lucien Laforge. This copy is from the first printing of 50 examples on thick paper and is not only much rarer than the general trade edition but is far superior in terms of quality.

Lucien Laforge was born in Paris in 1889 and was a staunch pacifist, feigning lunacy twice to be discharged during WWI. He published a work in 1922 titled 'le film 1914' which satirised the conflict with grotesque cartoons, blaming the horrors on the greed and stupidity of the wealthy elite. His simple and sometimes haunting style is also evident in his illustrations for fairy tales and was not considered fashionable at the time but displays the chilling legacy of the war. The bold black lines of his characters were incredibly progressive and appear almost cartoon-like.

First edition, first printing, one of one of 50 deluxe copies on Whatman; square 4to (25.5 x 25.5 cm); 8 circular pochoir plates 'colorié au patron' and 60 black and white illustrations in the text after Laforge; modern black morocco, flat spine, title in silver to spine, original pink wrappers bound in, a fine copy.