What makes this limited edition so special
When Folio Publishing Director Tom Walker noticed a Babar miniature in the office of Christine Nelson, Drue Heinz Curator of Literary and Historical Manuscripts at The Morgan Library & Museum, it sparked the idea for The Story of Babar. The fragile archives that trace the fascinating history of the little elephant are too delicate for permanent display but are bursting with colour and characterisation. The opportunity to own these rare literary treasures in facsimile is only available to collectors of this delightful limited edition.
The presentation box is quarter-bound in green cloth to match Babar’s famous suit and blocked in gold on the spine with the title and, of course, some playful elephants. The paper sides are printed with a design from de Brunhoff’s maquette and the box is fastened with grosgrain ribbon – again in Babar’s signature green.
The portfolio in which the limitation certificate, maquette and sketches are presented is also quarter-bound in cloth – red this time to match Babar’s famous car. The paper sides are printed with brush strokes from a piece of paper used by de Brunhoff when painting the sketches and with an image of Babar sitting on the title taken from page 41 of the facsimile. Inside, the portfolio is lined with Marcate Nettuno Grigio paper, FSC certified, uncoated and felt marked.. The limitation certificate, printed on green Marcate Nettuno, has been numbered by hand. The charming maquette is hand-sewn with bright red binding thread and the title page clearly shows that, originally, Cécile de Brunhoff was to be credited along with Jean. Apparently, she asked for her name to be removed as she felt so little of Babar’s creation was down to her inspired storytelling. It is absolutely fascinating to see which ideas continued from sketch to maquette to final publication and which were abandoned as the story developed. The back of the maquette is illustrated, by de Brunhoff, with Babar seen from the back. On his bottom ‘25 x 32’ has been scribbled – thought to be the intended paper size for the finished book. The 61 sketches, some with colour, most in pencil alone, are numbered on the reverse so that the annotations in the commentary are easy to follow and all are held together neatly with a red paper band. The facsimile is an exact copy of the 1931 original, with the colours just as they would have been when the book was first published.
Finally, to the commentary which is as fascinating as it is beautiful. The headings and captions have been printed in orange and blue to match the binding of the facsimile. There are drop capitals, again in orange, and delightful decorations of the tiny birds and butterflies, aeroplanes and elephants from the original illustrations. Folio art director, Raquel Leis Allion clearly had a great deal of fun designing this beautiful collection, the details are exquisite and absolutely everything has been considered to create a truly exceptional limited edition.