(14" x 11") 66pp. 28 illustrations. (28 in text.)
General condition: Pristine. Exterior: Fine. Interior: Mint.
Ex. no.: 73/155.
Plates loose as issued in faux wood slipcase and chemise; both in beautiful condition, save for a scratch on the box.

An impeccable copy of one of Schmied's most beautiful productions, featuring 28 wood engravings in color and illustrating the great scholar, Mardrus's literal translation from the original Semitic texts. The illustrations, in double-page spreads, are soft and delicate, while the text pages are highly structured through the creative use of rules, in geometric but never repetitive combinations, as elements of ornamentation.

The ensemble, printed on Madagascar, is "possibly the most perfect blending of an author and an artist-designer that could be accomplished."

This copy is signed in pencil by Schmied on the justification page.

Ref:
Ritchie, Ward. François-Louis Schmied. San Francisco, 1987.
François-Louis Schmied: Le Texte en sa Splendeur. Geneva and Lausanne: La Bibliotheque Publique et Universitaire and La Bibliotheque des Arts, 2001.