Joan of Arc Hardbound - 1918

Joan of Arc (c1412 – 1431) became a military leader who transcended gender roles and gained recognition as a savior of France, becoming the patron saint of France. Executed at about nineteen years old her story has lived on for centuries with her life being one of the most studied from the Middle Ages, partly because her two trials provided a wealth of documents. The Historical Society of Paris asked and obtained permission to have this book translated into French and at the same time made the author a member of the society. Condition: Dark navy-blue cloth boards have Joan of Arc on her horse as the pastedown illustration inside gold gilt square decorations. The title, author and illustrator names are all in gold gilt on the front cover and spine. There are some small blemishes to the pastedown image but otherwise the boards are in excellent condition. The spine is tight, boards are firmly attached with no cracking to the decorative endpapers with only minimal wear to the top and bottom of the back strip. The corners are sharp with only slight wear at the tips. Text block is firm with all pages firmly attached. Tissue guard intact over frontispiece. Age tanning and light foxing throughout. The text pages are of medium grade paper and illustrations are on high quality glossy paper. The interior pages are in excellent condition with no markings, chips, cracks or previous owner marks. 389 pages. Dimensions: H – 9-1/2" W – 7-1/2" D – 2". Lucy Foster Madison (1865 – 1932) began her career as a school teacher in Louisiana but in 1893 her short story entry to a New York newspaper won second place thus her writing career began. The author of over 200 short stories and numerous novels set in medieval and colonial times, as well as her "Peggy Owens" stories and other tales for girls, made her popular early in the 20th century. Frank Earle Schoonover (1877 – 1972) was a member of the Brandywine School but over the course of his career many of his more than 5,000 paintings, were influenced by his travels and the people he met. He was a prolific contributor to both books and magazines during the early twentieth century, the so-called "Golden Age of Illustration."