Paris, Claude Prudhomme, 1707.
12mo of (2) ll. facing eachother illustrated with 4 engraved vignettes each, (2) ll., 305 pp., (3) pp. of privilege, 8 full-page plates, 1 folding music plate.
Jansenist red morocco, spine ribbed, inner border, gilt edges. Trautz-Bauzonnet.
158 x 91 mm.
“First edition, uncommon: it is not mentioned by Cioranescu nor Conlon” (B. Forgeot).
It is actually the exceedingly rare first illustrated edition of the collection of Fairy Tales of Miss de LA Force (1650-1724), the inspirer of the Brothers Grimm, who remained unknown to most bibliographers.
It contains 8 tales: « Plus belle que Fée » ; « Persinette » ; « L’enchanteur » ; « Tourbillon » ; « Verd et bleu » ; « Le pays des Délices » ; « La Puissance d’amour » ; « La Bonne Femme ».
Miss de la Force left several tales but the most famous one is ‘Persinette’ which inspired widely the Brothers Grimm in the writing of their novel ‘Rapunzel’.
Reeditions of her novels and tales, incorporated into the vast collection of the Cabinet des fees, attest that she was still read in the 18th century; her tale ‘Persinette’ is the inspiration for the Brothers Grimm‘s version of ‘Rapunzel’ (Raiponce), tale to which the Disney studios enhance the luster by producing a motion picture in 2010.
In the last twenty years, critics rediscovered the women who represent the majority of the authors of the tale genre: Mme d’Aulnoy, Mme de Murat and Mme de la Force were the subjects of theses that originate from French and Anglo-Saxon universities.
A very beautiful copy of this exceedingly rare collection of Fairy Tales, wide-margined, coming from the libraries of the Count of Lignerolles (II – 1894, n°1925: ‘First edition’) and Cecile Eluard, decorated with a charming illustration composed of 11 copper-engravings, including 2 facing each other at the beginning with 4 subjects each, and a folding music plate.
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