Raboliot
One of 25 deluxe copies on Japanese paper with the suite, this copy hors commerce, numbered and signed by the publisher.
Fourth illustrated edition of Raboliot, and one of the most successful, both for the quality of the printing and for the graphic verve of Joseph Hémard, a master of caricature and color illustration. The book is illustrated with 33 color plates, along with numerous vignettes, headpieces and tailpieces characteristic of Hémard’s earthy, expressive style.
A complete artist, Hémard (1880–1961) was by turns a satirical draftsman, typographer and publisher. Mobilized at the age of thirty-four in August 1914, he joined the 155th Infantry Regiment but was taken prisoner in October of the same year. He was interned at the Güstrow camp in northern Germany, where he produced numerous sketches of daily life in captivity. Repatriated to France on December 31, 1918, he resumed a prolific career as an illustrator, becoming one of the most celebrated artists of the interwar period for his illustrated editions of legal codes, novels and classic works.
In Raboliot, his mischievous line perfectly matches the rustic, free peasant world of the novel, lending it a touch of offbeat humor. This is one of the first great illustrated editions of the novel, which had won the Prix Goncourt five years earlier.
From the library of Maurice Genevoix, at “Les Vernelles” (bookplate).