Il etait une fois un alphabet

Paris: Chandeigne, 2009. Second Edition. Hardcover. As New. Oblong 12mo 7" - 7. Souza Desnoyer. Sterling condition hardcover copy of the Second Edition, the first having been published in 1951, with unbruised tips, tight binding, and clean internals, showing only very slight shelf- and edge-wear; not ex-library, with neither underlining nor highlighting anywhere. Glossy pictorial covers, illustrated paper label, red cloth-backed. Hard plastic sleeve containing stiff illustrated alphabet boards, complete. Gorgeous illustrations by Souza Desnoyer, a graphic artist born in Kiev, 1901, died in Perpignan, 1988, born as Georgette Anne Hanouche, and having married the painter Francois Desnoyer. The author was the wife of Albert Marquet. We know little about the genesis of this book. The publisher of this new edition writes that the genesis of the item was in the Summer of 1939 as the Marquets invited the Desnoyers to stay in their house-workshop at La Frette, near Paris. While playing Diamino, a sort of Scrabble game, they fabricated Diamino boxes for the soldiers of the Maginot line in their tunnels, a fun alphabet for children, a fun story of the meeting and the union of the peoples of Vowels and Consonants. Each letter becomes a living character, characterized by its bodily form and its psychology.Member, I.O.B.A., C.B.A., and adherent to the highest ethical standards. Additional postage may be required for oversize or especially heavy volumes, and for sets.