"The Boy and the Bone" has a boy rather than a wolf swallow a bone. His sister, just back from the grocery, removes the bone and tells him that he should have waited for the Fairbank meat can which she has just brought home. Moral: "Buy the Fairbank Canning Co's meat and save accidental insurance."
1920? Set of 20 six-sided picture cubes illustrating fables. Slightly larger than 1½" on each cube's side. In the original box? "Wolf in Shepherd's Clothing"; "Horse and Mule"; "The Fox and the Goat"; GA, FS; and an image involving a grasshopper and a rabbit. $34.36 from vali51000 through Ebay, July, '20.
This set of story blocks involves several stories. It makes use of a common set of chromolithographs from the early 20th century. One of the blocks has been extensively redone on one side. One of its images does not immediately bring to my mind a fable: Which fable presents a grasshopper and rabbit? I made a serious mistake concerning this set. Shipments from France cost a great deal these days. I was asking Bertrand Cocq if he would purchase several Ebay.fr offerings for me and send them all together with the many cards he was assembling for me, and he graciously agreed. When his shipment arrived, I missed finding the story blocks I had been looking forward to for many weeks. They were not there. I got in touch with the seller to ask what had happened, and the seller immediately wrote back and asked what had happened to payment and the address to which they were to send! I had mismanaged the deal and was lucky that I could still get this lovely old treasure!
1920? Set of 15 six-sided picture cubes illustrating fables. Slightly larger than 1½" on each cube's side. In the original box? "Wolf in Shepherd's Clothing"; "Horse and Mule"; "The Fox and the Goat"; GA, FS; and an image involving a grasshopper and a rabbit. €35 from choupette-fr through Ebay, March, '24.
This set is particularly fascinating because it is so similar to a set, probably contemporary with it, that features four columns of five blocks, not three columns. The pictures are identical. These sets make use of a common set of chromolithographs from the early 20th century. One of its images, as I mentioned there, raises a question: Which fable presents a grasshopper and rabbit? Shipments from France cost a great deal these days. This was a case in which the shipment cost more than the item.
2011 Box of Chinese characters with pen and booklet. "Fables Selected Enlightenments for Reading." Ben She. Hubei Children's Publishing House. 5¾" x 6". $6.50 from World Books through Ebay, May, '22.
This set has puzzled me for some time. I can understand some things about it. It offers children a set of some 30 sturdy cards for learning Chinese characters. There is also a sponge-tipped writing instrument. Also inside the box is a 30-page booklet with TH on its cover; this is the same image on the box's cover. As far as I can tell, there are seven stories. None of them seems to be TH or any other fable I know. Strange! I will keep this with printed materials. I would be happy to catalogue the book with other books, but I cannot decipher enough of it!
2011 Box of Chinese characters with pen and booklet. "Fables Selected Enlightenments for Reading." Ben She. Hubei Children's Publishing House. 5¾" x 6". $6.50 from World Books through Ebay, May, '22.
This set has puzzled me for some time. I can understand some things about it. It offers children a set of some 30 sturdy cards for learning Chinese characters. There is also a sponge-tipped writing instrument. Also inside the box is a 30-page booklet with TH on its cover; this is the same image on the box's cover. As far as I can tell, there are seven stories. None of them seems to be TH or any other fable I know. Strange! I will keep this with printed materials. I would be happy to catalogue the book with other books, but I cannot decipher enough of it!
Two groups of cards seem to make use of the same plates employed for cards I have listed under "Dépot Central." All of them acknowledge Bouillon, Rivoyre and Company as their printer, and all feature children acting out La Fontaine's fables. 1890? 2 cards with full-color images of children acting out La Fontaine's fables within a border advertising B. Baloy, 42, Rue de la Chaussée d'Antin. 3" x just over 4". 50 Francs each from Annick Tilly at Clignancourt, August, '01.
The pink and floral border frames each of two scenes familiar already from cards marked by "Dépot Central," namely "Le Loup, la Mère & l'Enfant" and MSA. These cards are thus slightly larger than their "Dépot Central" counterparts. Once again, the color printing is not exact. Baloy is a shoe dealer. The "Le Loup, la Mère & l'Enfant" card shows some old paste scars on both faces, while the MSA card shows them only on the text side.
1880? 20 cards (plus 10 extras) with a picture side showing a small animal scene and a larger parallel human scene. 4.5" x 3.5". 7 of the cards are marked "Au Printemps" and were done by Bouillon, Rivoyre et Cie. Dangivillé et Cie, rue de l'Industrie, 17, Paris. 110 Francs for 6 "Au Printemps" cards at the Marché aux Puces, Clignancourt, May, '97. Other cards for 40 and 50 Francs each from Annick Tilly at Clignancourt, August, '99 and August, '01. Still others for $8 apiece from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne-Ricouart, Belgium, March, '01.Extra copy of "Le Lion devenu vieux" for €5 in St. Ouen, June, '19. "Bat and Weasels" for €5 from Simon Rodriguez through Ebay, May, '22, along with extras for the same price of TMCM and "Le Renard et le Buste, all advertising "Mon Anthoine -G. Broteau" in Paris.
The human scenes are provocative, as when a prince, living out WL, condemns a handcuffed human being to the executioner in the presence of some natives. "Le Lion Amoureux" uses Samson and Delilah for its human scene, just as OR uses David and Goliath. In FG, the amputee on crutches can only look at the beautiful well-dressed woman as he passes by. The text of La Fontaine's fable is on the back side of the "Au Printemps " (AP) and other Bouillon & Rivoyre (BR) cards. Several with " L. Villain " (V) on the picture side feature advertisements for Bon Marché on the back. The other cards tend to feature either advertisements for the sponsors mentioned on the picture side, or they are without a name on the front and blank in back (B). Sponsors include Modes Mercerie a Saint Augustin in Paris (MM), "Aux Armes de Belgique" (AA), "Mon Bonneau" (MB), "A Saint Joseph " (SJ), "Au Chapeau Rouge" (CR), and "De la boutique de Peabody " in Salem (P).. The titles are printed in blue above the illustrations for AP, CR, and BR cards; in red for MM; in black for V and AA; and in brown for blank-backed and the other remaining cards. On the "Au Printemps" cards, the printer has a clever sense about where to insert "Au Printemps" into each picture. Look for it! The artist has likewise been clever in integrating the human and animal scenes into the design. The three cards from Mon Anthoine -G. Broteau" have calendars for 1880 on the verso.
2017 Bottom strip of four "Literature Heritage of Russia Fables" stamps. 35p apiece. FG, TH, CJ, and WC. $4.23 from VarGur Stamps through eBay, April, '18.
Here is a lively set of large, colorful stamps. The author of each is different: I.A. Krylov for the first and C.B. Mychalkov for the second. The third seems to be by a B.K. Treduakovsky, and the fourth by A.P. Cymarikov.
1975? Twenty cards in a package "Les Fables de La Fontaine: Vingt Cartes Postales d'Art, Images de A. M. Bossaert." Each marked 4402. Made in France. Etab. Artistiques Parisiens. $75 from rhetlyn from Carolina Shores, NC, through eBay, Dec., '03. Extra copies of four of the cards for $30 from Betty Jette, Eaton Park, FL, through Ebay, Feb., '00.
Excellent, vibrant color work! Cursive titles underneath the pictures serve as a distinguishing mark for this set. My favorites include "Le Gland ete la Citrouille," which features wonderful striped stockings and wooden shoes on the philosophical bumpkin. The hare's bugle and ball on TH suggest that he may not have been entirely focussed on this race! The cat as monk ready to devour both the hare and weasel is all the more sinister because his face is completely black except for the pince-nez, gray whiskers, and green eyes. LM uses two shades of green, one of blue, and three of tan to make a dramatic statement. Two other spectacularly colorful pictures are those for "Le Coche et la Mouche" and MSA. Well done! Unfortunately, three of the extra cards--"Le Chat, la Belette et le petite Lapin," "Le Gland et la Citrouille," and TH--show a mark at the top of the picture where some tape has been applied; only LM is without it.
2019 Bookmarks of Erlesenes Bookshop in Vienna. Three bookmarks, gifts of Erlesenes, August, '19.
Visiting this bookshop was one of the most refreshing of my fable-seeking adventures. I noticed online an unusual volume that they were offering: "A Bölcs Esopusnak" in Hungarian from 1943. I found their bookshop -- it was not easy -- and was immediately struck by the FG symbol at the doorway. This bookshop is a search for the exquisite grapes of literature! Their advertising is consistent with their brand, and so I have a business card as well as these three bookmarks. There is also an incident connected with my visit there. The manager could not find the book and at last remembered that it might be in the "Lager," since she had worked on the volume. She found it! Victory! The exquisite possessed!
1895? Booklet of 16 dust-jackets stapled together. Algis and G. Dascher. published by C(amille) Charier in Saumur, France. €33 from Maxime Chupin, Carqueiranne, France, through Ebay, July, ’21.
Here is a remarkable experience and a remarkable object. The experience is that it had taken me some nine months to arrive at cataloguing a set of unusual early dust-jackets just a few days ago. Then an object arrived that I had ordered on Ebay because it was unusual: a stapled booklet presenting 16 images consecutively in the first half on the right side of the booklet and then, in reverse order on the left-hand pages, the La Fontaine fable texts for those illustrations. What happened here? Did someone gather the dust jackets and assemble them? Was that someone the publisher? As with the individual dust jackets, so in the booklet: while the common top and left frame scene is signed by “Algis,” some of the inset illustrations are signed by “Algis” and others by “G. Dascher.” Camille Charier seems to be the publisher. The texts are printed not only in different colors but in differing typefaces. What a strange find! I show the booklet with edges exposed in hopes that viewers can see the four staples at the central crease of this booklet.
1920? Pair of TH sculptures. 6" high. Resin. Hand painted. Sterling Industries? $25. Unknown source and date.
These two heavy fellows would do great book-backing! There is a nice contrast here between the two hand-held objects: a loaf of bread and a victory trophy.
1944? Eight cards showing children fulfilling the roles of La Fontaine's fables. Signed by "L (?) Bonniol." Imprimé en France. Éditions Superluxe-Paris. "Oyster and Litigants" for €5 from Suzanne Botti, Le Bono, at the Paris Post Card Exhibition, Jan., '05. WL for €4 at the Paris Post Card Exhibition, Jan., '05. The other six a gift of Bertrand Cocq, Calonne-Ricouart, France, August, '15. Now, in Sept., '19, two last cards (TB and TMCM) for $14 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne Ricouart, France, along with an extra copy of TB for $8. Four further cards as part of a group for $1.10 each from yvrl through Ebay, May, '22. "Acorn and Pumpkin" for €10 from Albert van den Bosch, Antwerp, June, '23.
Good color work in these cards notable for their unevenly cut edges. One can ask what the purpose is of having the children play the adult roles in some of these fables. In "The Oyster and the Litigants" there may be something adult and even erotic about these children. In WL, it makes sense that the bigger boy can take what he wants from the little girl. Is the fox in FG a male putting down females above? One might also ask questions about how the figures in MSA fit together. Does changing to the child's world lose the point here? I am not sure, finally, how OF might work between these two children. For all those questions, I still delight in the colors and forms in these engaging cards!
1950? Four monochrome hidden-picture cards featuring La Fontaine fables from Teinturerie Bonnin in Nantes, France. Light paper with orange coloring. 4” x 2½”. Two are signed by an artist with a name something like “Sluston.” €14.99 from place-nette-nantes on Ebay, August, ’21.
The seller identifies these as ”DLG Benjamin Rabier.” Though they remind one of Rabier’s style, I do not believe they are his work. Three clearly present fables. I am not sure what the commerce of the two fish is meant to relate to in La Fontaine. Two of the puzzle-answers were so easy that I wonder if I am not missing something obvious in the other two, which I find hard. The opening statement on the verso seems clever, but I sense that they are playing with a verb other than “aller.”
2009 Boner's Edelstein. 176 jpg images of pages on a CD prepared by the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfenbuttel of a colored version of Albrecht Pfister's book published in Bamberg in 1461. This copy is in their library. Photographed at my request.
I asked for these images as I was preparing a paper for the Renard Society in summer of 2009. I actually found that scans I got from our facsimile served my illustrated lecture's purpose even better. The preparation of this paper made for a lively summer in Mannheim in 2009.
1990? Bone carving of the wolf and stork. 4" x 1 3/8" x 5¼" high. $10.50 from Brenda Lyttle, Orange, TX, through Ebay, June, '00.
The texture and color of each of the figures are different. The stork is a lighter in color and almost translucent, while the wolf is a darker hue. Several inserted pieces of lighter-colored material suggest his teeth well.
1930? Three circular fable images, each presenting a fable scene under the double title "Les Fables de Lafontaine" and the name of the individual fable. At the bottom of the picture is "Bonbons Surfins." On the right side is "La Pierrette." Might each of these have come in a tin of candy? The three scenes are of FC, TH, and "Le Singe et le Chat." After finding these cards, I have now also found a candy tin from Surfins. It presents this very same scene of FC, expanded by about a half inch around the whole circumference. Visit the "Cans and Tins" page, on which it can be seen.
1953? Set of fifteen Olivier "Bon Point" cards, 3" x 2⅜". $20 for the set from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne Ricouart, France, Sept., '20
When little French kids performed well in school, they got a "Bon Point" card. When they amassed 10 "Bon Points" they could exchange them for a large format image or other prize.
1950? 1 card featuring FC by Jean Adrien Mercier on the front and "Bon Point" on the verso,and lines on which to name the school and class of the recipient of this prize. "Lion Noir." $3.55 from Jeannick Brisson, Baignes Sainte Radgonde, France, through Ebay, June, '20.
I recognize Mercier's style immediately from the lovely menus he did for transatlantic ships. I am surprised that there is not a space for listing the pupil's name!
1925? Bon Point Chocolat Corona. Delespaul Havez. 4 small cards About 2" x 2¾". St. Ouen, August, '15.
This series of four cards is among the smaller but more nicely done cards that this collection has. The four images are well done. The picture side of the card includes a fable title at its top, a colored image, and then three lines of advertisement: Bon-Point, Offert par le Chocolat, Delespaul-Hayez." The verso is identical on all four: Chocolat Corona Delespaul Havez: Le Meilleur Chocolat pour votre Gouter. Exigez-Le!!" FS; WL; "The Hare and the Frogs"; and "The Old Woman and Her Two Servant-Girls."
Bon Point Chocolat Corona
1925? Bon Point Chocolat Corona. Delespaul Havez. 4 small cards About 2" x 2¾". St. Ouen, August, '15.
This series of four cards is among the smaller but more nicely done cards that this collection has. The four images are well done. The picture side of the card includes a fable title at its top, a colored image, and then three lines of advertisement: Bon-Point, Offert par le Chocolat, Delespaul-Hayez." The verso is identical on all four: Chocolat Corona Delespaul Havez: Le Meilleur Chocolat pour votre Gouter. Exigez-Le!!" FS; WL; "The Hare and the Frogs"; and "The Old Woman and Her Two Servant-Girls."
1910? One pop-up card showing and exemplifying FG and advertising Au Bon Marché. Printed by J.B. Goosens, Paris. $50 from Eclectibles, Tolland, CT, May, '06.
This is an exquisite pop-up in very good condition. The front card is cut on the lower 75% of the circle enclosing the upper portion of the picture, so that a viewer discovers that the front page opens up. When it does, he or she sees a three-dimensional scene. In the background is the name of Au Bon Marché. In the middle ground is a disgruntled driver of a horse-drawn buggy. In the foreground are two contented passengers in a motor car passing by the horse, wagon, and driver. Beneath the motor car one can then read the words, as though they came from the mouth of the horse-driver: "They are too green, he says." Sour grapes! He did not want to ride that fast anyway! To see how the pop-up works, click on it.
