The Days of Chivalry: or, The Legend of Croquemitaine
by Ernest L'Épine with all 177 original wood engraving illustrations by Gustave Doré in original full size
A new edition limited to 96 hand-bound copies. in premium bonded leather with hand gilt stamped spine and cover, decorated endpapers, bound-in gold taffeta book mark. small quarto  8 1/4" " x 11", [14]+ 259+[1]pp , There are 26 of the 96 copy edition, lettered A through Z, which will ship with a gorgeous 11" x 15" print reproducing one of the full page illustrations from the book, the remainder of the edition is numbered 1 though 70. Click here to see the art print. order below

This book is also available in trade paper. Christendom and the West meet with the Saracens and allegorical "Fear" in this nineteenth century fanciful telling of the tales of Charlemagne and his twelve knights (including Roland) and of their 8th and 9th century adventures with the Saracens and the "Fortress of Fear," with some of, we believe, the best work of one of the greatest engravers of the 19th century, Gustave Doré.  Croquemitaine [croak-mit-tain]: The bogie raised by fear. The romance (fantastic tale), in three parts. The first relates the bloody tournament at Fransac, between the champions of the Moorish King Marsillus and the paladins of Charlemagne. The second is the Siege of Saragossa by Charlemagne. The third is the allegory of Fear-Fortress. The epilogue is the disaster at Roncesvallës.  Mitaine. Godchild of Charlemagne; her parents were Mita and Miton, Count and Countess of Rennes. She went in search of Fear Fortress, and found that it only existed in the minds of the fearful, vanishing into thin air as it was approached by a bold heart and clear conscience. Charlemagne made her for this achievement Roland's squire, and she followed him on her horse Vaillant to Spain, and fell in the attack at Roncesvalles. (Croquemitaine, pt. iii.)  Mi'ta: Sister of Aude, surnamed "the Little Knight of Pearls," in love with Sir Miton de Rennes, Roland's friend. Charlemagne greeted her after a tournament with the Saracens at Fronsac, saying, "Rise, Countess of Rennes." Mita and Sir Miton were the parents of Mitaine (q.v.). (Croquemitaine, XV.)  Ernest L'Épine's The Days of Chivalry, or The Legend of Croquemitaine appeared in France in 1863, the Ton Hood translation appeared in England in 1867. It was a new version of one of the old chansons de geste, retelling the adventures of Charlemagne and his twelve knights and was graced with a series of 177 engravings, now seldom-seen, by the great 19th century French illustrator, Gustave Doré. The author, Ernest L'Épine (1826-1893), had previously collaborated with Alphonse Daudet on two one-act plays. L'Épine then experimented with stories for children and the world of legends. The spirited translation provided by British writer Tom Hood (1835-1874) reintroduced this work to a larger audience in the British Empire and in the United States. Although readers tend to associate Gustave Doré with grim or awe-inspiring renditions found in such works as Dante's Inferno (1861), The Doré Bible (1866), and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1875), admirers are also aware of Doré's sublime sense of humor reflected in such works as Don Quixote and The Adventures of Baron Munschausen (1862). Here, long out-of-print, is the complete The Days of Chivalry (1863) in the original size with all the glorious original Doré illustrations in full size and splendor. Enjoy!  NOW Shipping: (Direct from the publisher only) Limited Edition, Premium Bonded Leather, gilt stamped, decorated end papers, limited to 96 copies : ISBN:0-918736-21-8 $75.00 /Twenty-six copies are available at $100.00 with limited edition art print included. Shipping now Trade Paper:  ISBN: 0-918736-42-0  $23.95