About the cover:
Full-grain binding Smoothed fawn marocco, identical but colour-restricted depictions of stork, fowl, chicken, dog and cat on the front and back cover using coloured adhesive foils, supplemented with embossed gold and palladium lines, hand-gilt spine title, gilt head edge, hand-stitched endpapers, light brown mirror and the flying leaf of dark brown Ingres, slipcase with leather-bound opening and cover of coloured paper.
About the content:
Henry de Montherlant: La Rédemption (Redemption) par les Bêtes
With 22 lithographed drawings, including one double-page spread, by Pierre Bonnard, finished by Fernand Mourlot.
Ex. No. 271 of 280 on Grand Vélin de Rives, printed at the expense of an enthusiast, Paris 1959
About the artist: Roger Devauchelle is a bookbinder and binding historian. Born an orphan, he had to leave school at the age of twelve in order to earn his own living. His passion for drawing and books led him to learn bookbinding in Amiens.
During his military service in Paris, he met Georges Lahaye, who inspired him to take up the art of bookbinding. He was later wounded and taken prisoner. He used the time in prison to perfect his training with the help of a fellow prisoner. He then fled to the Landes and opened his first studio.
Two years later, he moved to Paris. In order to perfect his techniques and capture the details, he dismantled high-quality bindings and expanded his skills to include hand-gilding and gilding, taking advice from the best experts. Thanks to his uncompromising pursuit of perfection, he eventually became "Meilleur ouvrier de France" for binding, gilding and and gold trim.
