Copy Caillau-Lamicq - Lot 408

Copy Caillau-Lamicq [LALANNE (Jean Victor)] Coundes Biarnés. Couéilhuts aüs Parsàas Miéytadès dou Péys dé Biarn. Pau Cazaux, 1890. In-4: 2f., 292pp. 1f. Edition of 210 copies (no. 108). ½ contemporary small-grained green morocco, slightly oiled ribbed spine, gilt bindings and title, gilt head, parchment cover preserved. A fine, well-bound copy. Very rare. The first are poems, the others prose. No translation, but notes to clarify expressions, difficult words and so on. Good humor presides over all these tasty, light-hearted tales. The Batcave catalog attributes this work to BASCLE de LAGRÈZE. One might have thought so, given that the same BATCAVE knew LALANNE well and signed the preface to "Lou Prousèy d'û Biarnés. Coundes e Histoerots" published in Pau, Vignancour, 1911. In fact, BATCAVE must have noted Lagrèze's name next to the initial "B" at the end of the preface to "Coundes Biarnès". The preface is indeed in the hand of a LAGRÈZE, but not the jurist we know - it's his son who wrote it. The latter called himself the Comte de LAGRÈZE and wrote several novels under the name Champol. As for the "Coundes Biarnes", they are indeed written by J.V. LALANNE, written under the advice and encouragement of Eugène LARROQUE. LALANNE was a schoolteacher in Orthez, and president of the Escole Gastou Fébus. Further information on this work can be found in Paul CLAVÉ's "Prosateurs Béarnais", published in 1980 (information J.-B. Prat). Provenance: Pierre Caillau-Lamicq's copy (Caillau-Lamicq sale, no. 228).