J O N K E R S R A R E B O O K S
the slightest bumping to spine ends. The drawing and manu- script in excellent condition. $4,250 An exceptional association copy of the first appearance of Briggs’s most famous work, linking to of the foremost modern author-illustrators. They were strict contemporaries, having long careers both as illustrators and then as authors in their own right. In an interview in 2010, Hughes re - marked that she had known Briggs “for years” and had read The Snow- man to her children. They both died within six months of one another in 2022. Hughes’s manuscript piece on Briggs, in which she shows a tremendous respect for his work, appears to be unpublished and is possibly for a short speech in connection with the 2018 Snowman exhibition, where a number of prominent illustrators including Hughes and Quentin Blake, created their own versions of The Snowman. “Raymond Briggs is a mas - ter draughtsman,” she writes, “one of the finest graphic storytellers of his generation.” WITH ORIGINAL DRAWING BRUNHOFF, Jean de LE VOYAGE DE BABAR Editions du Jardin des Modes, Conde Nast, Paris, [1932] [45874] First edition, presentation copy with full page pen and ink draw- ing of Babar and inscription on the title page. Folio. Red cloth spine, with vibrant pictorial boards. The large original pen and ink drawing depicts Babar dressed in a smart oversized coat, purchasing a hat from a milliner to be sent to “Mr. Gregory au chalet La Fenière”. Beneath the ink drawing, Brunhoff’s distinct cursive reads: “Babar - Je voudrais un chapeau pour Mr. Greg - ory. /Le vendeur - Voilà un modèle que je vous recommande. /Babar - Très joli! Vous l’enverrez aujourd’hui /de ma part à Mr. Gregory au Chalet La Fenière.-:” On the title page Brunhoff writes “A monsieur et madame Gregory /en souvenir de Mon - tana et de leur excellent traduction/hommage respectueux de l’auteur /Jean de Brunhoff”. There also is a later inscription (“To my darlingest Winkie, with all my love, Bernard, 1971”) beneath a tipped-in bookplate on the verso of the title-page. Original pen and ink drawing on the verso of the front free end paper. Pictori - al endpapers and colour illustrations throughout by the author, including some wonderful double page images. A very good copy with some wear and soiling to the binding and some res- toration to spine and boards. Internally some foxing, and finger marks to contents. $49,500
An exceptional copy inscribed as a gift for Monsieur and Madame Greg - ory, who became acquainted with Brunhoff in Montana, Switzerland. Since his formative years, Brunhoff suffered from tuberculosis, and vis - ited Crans-Montana frequently for treatment in a specialist sanatorium. In the story of Le Voyage de Babar, Brunhoff illustrates a resort where Babar, Celeste and the Old Lady go for “le bon air des montagnes et faire un peu de ski.” Brunhoff later died of his condition, aged just 37, making his few presen - tation copies extremely rare. His artwork of Babar is considered scarce, and an inscription such as this, alongside the large personalised illus- tration, is exceptionally special. Previously, in 1931 Brunhoff illustrated and inscribed a copy of “Histoire de Babar” for Monsieur and Madame Gregory which gives us insight into his esteem for the couple. These two copies are the only known books by Jean de Brunhoff to have been both inscribed and hand illustrated. It is the second book about Babar the elephant. This is the French edition, which is the true first, preceding the UK edition by three years.
AUTHOR’S PRESENTATION COPY IN PRESENTTION BINDING AND DUSTWRAPPER
12
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker