Sylvain Sauvage

I don't often visit the Fine Press Forum group here because of the book cost and severe limitation on number of copies (related issues of course) of most current presses. But I do salute those who support them while I haunt used book sources for the remarkable bargains like "Baron Corvo's Songs of Meleager published by The First Editions Club in 1937 with introduction by A.J.A. Symons in fine condition for $95.

Enough of the Digression! On a recent visit to that group I saw a post and subsequent thread which amounted to an outstanding photo essay on Sylvain Sauvage who illustrated a number of LEC books ending with Voltaire's Zadig, which I believe he also designed. The post is called "Sylvain Sauvage" and begins on February 25th and is posted by cupidum.

There are wonderful pictures of many of his illustrations for very small press French books accompanied by very learned discussion. One interesting section covers his illustrations used for both a French version and the LEC for Brillat-Savarin's The Physiology of Taste but printed differently. Macy is mentioned as having come along at the right moment in Sauvage's career. cupidum has certainly studied his subject and put together an admirable series of posts.

I did see several familiar names among the comments but I wanted to bring this to the attention of our entire group.

Here is the direct link to that topic. Enjoy!

Thanks to both you for providing this! Sauvage was one of the artists Macy often used, and some of my favorite works from the Macy era were illustrated by Sauvage: Penguin Island and Sentimental Journey in HP exclusives and the Anatole France LEC volumes.

It is interesting to compare his illustrations for the French Candide with the ones for the Nonesuch/HP Candide. Although I generally prefer the Nonesuch/HP illustrations, there are some of the ones from the French version I wish he would have duplicated for the English printing.

I would be tempted to brush up my French just to acquire the Daphnis and Chloe and the Contes Antiques pictured in that thread (could I even afford them!) but time's wingéd chariot is getting too close to my back and the stack of unread books in English is too high. These books are spectacular.

>2 Glacierman: Thanks. I will learn how to do that.