January 06, 2012

Poids et Mesures : a fantasy signed Obaldia

Quantitative pain
So many doors to open, close. So many beds to make, to undo. Many stairs to climb, to descend. So many dishes to wash, to dry. So many clothes to whiten, to blacken. So many handshakes to distribute. So many letters to write. So many words to say. So many babies bottles and babies scratches. So many horsies to bed-bye and beddy-byes to ride. So much and so little of something.  So many things and so little about everything. So much many and so little few that there it is enough to discourage the best, enough to pitch a tent in the desert.
But so many, many grains of sand ...

In 1959 is published Poids et Mesures [Weights and Measures],  a fanciful and humorous succession of short texts, written by René de Obaldia and illustrated by the engraver and painter Jean Peschard (1927-2009). The frontispiece of this work of surrealistic lookings, is by Lucien Coutaud (1904-1977) :



 Currently, the librairie Loliée offers :
  • OBALDIA (René de). Poids et Mesures. Frontispice de Lucien Coutaud. Illustrations de Jean Peschard. Éditions Les Impénitents, 1959, in-4, en leaves, illustrated publisher's case. Limited to 150 copies, one of the 25 copies on Rives BFK paper with an original and signed engraving  on pearly Japan paper.