Una Favola Vera

Milano: Ulrico Hoepli Editiore. Printed by Pizzi & Pizio, Milano and Roma, 1936. Seconda Edizione Aumentata -- Second Augmented Edition. Hardcover. Paper pastedown on boards. Cloth spine. Very Good. Juvenile propagandistic biography of Mussolini, which, despite the unsavory hagiographic point-of-view, is an undeniably beautiful children's book, with winsome color illustrations and bold graphics. Some of the illustrations incorporate what might be regarded as the Fascist aesthetic while somehow transcending such, and with their soft pastel coloring and overall soft focus quality, disarm and enchant. N.d., but 1936, as added are pages relating to the (truncated) Second Italo-Ethiopian War, fought between 1935 and 1936. 4to. 29 by 22 cm. [4, including title page], 35, [1] pp. Cover with a deliberately distorted, compressed map showing the Italian peninsula and below, Libya and Ethiopia, with coastlines rendered with a jaggedness suggestive, to us at least, of one continent about to gobble another. On FFEP, inked inscription, in Italian, to a Miriam from Vittoria Contini Bonacossi, saying she should learn more about "il nostro Mussolini", dated 31 Maggio 1937 XV, the Roman numeral standing for the 15th year of Mussolini's rule, and sited in New York. Bonacossi was a notable art collector. After her death, while the collection was to some extent dispersed, a substantial portion of the collection found its way in to the Uffizi Gallery. Adding a modicum of interest, we would say, is the blindstamped price of 12 lire on the lower right, back cover. The leaves of the book are heavily age toned, with some brittleness, as inevitable with the acidic paper stock used. Otherwise, the pages are clean, and the only cavil would be a few tiny edge chips. The rear cover has one edge piece of paper lifted, with short closed tearing top and bottom, but no loss. We consider this copy easily Very Good, and for this particular book, probably as nice a copy as one is likely to come upon. With mylar jacket protection now. (Inventory #: 007872)