Vintage French Love Poems, Vous et Moi by Paul Géraldy, 1960

Paul Géraldy made his name in 1913 with Toi et Moi, a slim book of love poems that half of France apparently memorized. Nearly fifty years later he published Vous et Moi. Going from toi to vous takes you from intimate to formal, which tells you something about where the romance stood by then.

This is the 1960 Librairie Stock edition. It's small and charming, bound in blush-pink cloth with the title stamped in gold on the cover. According to the publisher's note, it was printed on Prioux vellum and includes a hand-colored plate by the painter Pierre Laprade. The plate shows roses in a glass vase on a table, sketched in quick ink with soft washes of pink, yellow, and blue, and it's signed in the plate.

It's the right size for a handbag or a bedside table. It would also make a lovely gift for someone you'd like to address as toi.

Details

• Author: Paul Géraldy
• Publisher: Librairie Stock, Paris, 1960
• Language: French
• Illustrated with a color plate by Pierre Laprade
• Binding: Pink cloth with gilt title
• Dimensions: 5.25" × 4"
• Condition: Vintage, clean interior, with light wear consistent with age