Fables de Florian

Abstract

This 32-page pamphlet is identical with the first half of a book of the same title already in the collection published by Bias and Protin et Vuidar in Liège. It is hard to tie the front cover's illustration to a particular fable in this booklet. It features a mule, cow, and horse in the foreground and three travelling men in the background. As in the larger book, whose cover shows the handing out of money, the fables of Florian are presented in a surprising manner, in that a reader is never quite sure what is coming next; it may be a simple text, a full-page illustration, or a design. Pagination begins with the title-page, which includes a simple illustration of a rabbit and a duck. One of the first full-page illustrations, which includes several colors, occurs before its story, so that one needs to turn the page to find the story. This is "The Blind Man and the Paralytic" (13-15). Next comes a two-page illustration for "Magic Lantern," followed by its text. The first volume ends with "The Cat and the Rats," first text and then, on the last page, a full-page illustration of this fable using several colors. The back cover labels this as " No. 581" and lists Protin et Vuidar in Liege as the printers, not the publishers.