Tag: The Bibliophilist Society

In this sixth story of the third Decade of Honoré de Balzac’s humorous tales, entitled by The Bibliophilist Society “In which it is demonstrated that Fortune is always Feminine”, the writer seems to have drawn the general from the particular.

False friendship, deception, and trickery are the tools of rivals for Royal pleasure – that of the King and of the Queen. It seems to me that no-one really comes off best anyway, certainly not the fair lady.

The Folio Society did not include any drawings from Mervyn Peake, so, given that I don’t have any from Jean de Bosschère

we have only Gustave Doré’s interpretation, in The Bibliophilist Society’s publication, dated 1874, just 37 years after first publication by Gosselin of Paris, and the first in English. At some point the volume has been skilfully rebound, but the pages are clear and undamaged.

This third story of the second Decade of Balzac’s tales, entitled by the publishers of the only illustrated version I have “About The Monk Amador, Who Was A Glorious Abbot Of Turpenay”.

We are told of conflicts between church and state arising from that between two rival popes. This was manifested by hatred of the “rough” Lord of Candé for local monasteries. He therefore tormented any priests who encroached upon his land.

Amador, “a pilfered, a loiterer, and a bad soldier of the ecclesiastical militia”, was the only monk who dared to cross his lands. We learn of the strength and trickery with which he outwitted the temporal lord, and saved his Abbey.

The Folio Society edition bears no drawing by Mervyn Peake, and I do not have the third Decade illustrated by Jean de Bosschère.

Gustave Doré more than compensates for this lack in The Bibliophilist Society’s publication, dated 1874, just 37 years after first publication by Gosselin of Paris, and the first in English. At some point the volume has been skilfully rebound, but the pages are clear and undamaged.