Sac a Tout: Memoires d'un Petit Chien SIGNED
Paris: Felix Juven, 1903. Severine. Boards. The 1903 1st edition of this wonderful turn-of-the-century tale of the dog "Sac a Tout" and his travels thru Paris to find his way home, "comme un Grec au temps d'Ulysses". WARMLY INSCRIBED ON THE HALF-TITLE BY THE AUTHOR, "SEVERINE", TO LOUISE SYLVAIN, AN IMPORTANT ACTRESS OF THE DAY IN THE COMEDIE-FRANCAISE. Tight, well-preserved and Near Fine in its cloth-backed boards, with gorgeous pictorial onlay (photographic portrait of "Sac a Tout") at the front panel. Just a touch of mottling to the spine cloth, very minor rubbing to corners, otherwise clean as could be. With text and dozens and dozens of photographs, and with variously tinted decorative borders featuring small inset photos of "Sac a Tout". Tall quarto, unpaginated (though roughly 100 pages). Very scarce, especially inscribed. Interestingly, the author, whose real name was Caroline Remy de Guebhard (1855-1929), was a French anarchist and feminist, with connections to socialists and other journalists interested in progressive causes. This book, osensibly written for children, is illustrated with compelling photographs, taken by the author herself. Told in the first person, the dog Sac a Tout narrates his adventures in Paris, including a near-fatal encounter with a vivisectionist (Severine was also an ardent defender of animal rights and protections). The poor and destitute of Paris are also cast in a favorable light, as they help Sac a Tout find his way to Severine's house in Pierrefonds, in the Oise Valley slightly NE of Paris. Thereby strongly suggesting the book is also a political fable, arguing for the basic decency of the working class. Near Fine. Item #16444
Price: $2,000.00