"IT WAS HIS OPINION THAT THIS LAND WAS DYING FOR WANT OF TREES"

FRANCK, Martine) GIONO, Jean. The Man Who Planted Trees. New York: Limited Editions Club, 1995. Folio 14-1/2 by 17-1/2 inches), original half black morocco, uncut; housed in original slipcase. $1750.

Signed limited first edition, number 80 of only 300 copies signed by photographer Martine Franck on the limitation page, with five photogravures by Franck.

Considered by Andre Malraux “one of the greatest writers of our age,” Jean Giono, in nearly all of his works, “reaffirms the ideal of the rural community” (Bruno Poirier). "Giono was once asked by an American periodical to write a piece about an unforgettable character, meaning some actual person he had run across. Instead, the author told about a character that would be most unforgettable. When the original editor turned down the story and it was accepted by Vogue, Giono made it a donation 'for the good of others,' and it appeared in March, 1954, as 'The Man Who Planted Hope and Grew Happiness.' The story was given its present title in a volume of Giono's short stories… Within a few years the story of Elzéard Bouffier was translated into at least a dozen languages and inspired reforestation efforts around the world" (LEC newsletter). Photographer Marine Franck, Henri Cartier-Bresson's second wife, was herself for 32 years a member of the acclaimed collective Magnum Photos. With parallel text in English and French.

Fine condition.