About the cover:

Full-grain binding Red marocco leather, fine tendril element hand-gilt and blind-stamped, in imitation of the book illustrations, running across the spine, different on the front and back covers, narrow dark green and brown leather overlays, title in gold on a smooth spine; gilt edges on three sides, hand-stitched capital; mirror in dark brown suede with 25 mm wide, gold and blind-stamped leather frame, flyleaf also in dark brown suede, second and third endpapers in coloured paper; chemise with dark brown calf for spine and splint, cover in dark brown fabric, lined with light brown suede; Slipcase leather-bound, covered with

About the content:

Lucien de Samosate: Loukios ou l'âne

New translation by Émile Chambry, illustrated with 68 wood engravings, incl. 1 frontispiece, by Henri Laurens, no. 61 of 270 numbered copies on Vélin d'Arches pur fil, signed by the artist, incl. 1 original drawing in pencil and ink

Tériade éditeur, Paris 1947 The ancient author Lucien was born around 120 AD in Samosate in Syria in modest circumstances, taught rhetoric and law as an intellectual in the Roman Empire before travelling across Asia Minor to Egypt as a lawyer and travelling sophist.

About the artist: Jacques Anthoine-Legrain is the son-in-law of the legendary Pierre Legrain, who gave new impetus to the art of binding at the beginning of the 20th century. After his death in 1929, Jacques Anthoine returned to Paris and took over his father-in-law's workshop. With the appended name Legrain, his covers are often compared to those of Legrain, which he need not fear. True to the motto ‘A decoration must reflect the soul of the text as much as possible!’, he developed completely independent and magnificent designs. The careful choice of materials and finely colour-coordinated leather coverings are the hallmarks of his brilliant binding art, which he practised until around 1950. He was one of the six outstanding binding designers who founded the Société de la Reliure Originale in 1946 and in whose exhibitions he regularly took part.