French Fairy Tales - Countess de Ségur. A gift book in a leather binding

French Fairy Tales - Countess de Ségur. A gift book in a leather binding.

“French Fairy Tales” is a collection of magical stories written by Sofya Fyodorovna de Ségur in the mid‑19th century for her grandchildren. The collection includes more than two dozen fairy tales, among which “Sonya’s Pranks” is especially well‑known; it was compiled in a vivid, lively form specifically for children. The text of the works is distinguished by a light, playful style characteristic of the author, whose father, General Fyodor Vasilyevich Rastopchin, was an ardent Slavophile and a lover of light prose. The book itself was first published in 1857, and even then it resonated with the French public, becoming popular reading in family circles. Critics of that time compared the countess to Balzac, but in a child‑friendly version, emphasizing her talent for creating captivating yet kind plots.
The illustrations in the edition attract particular attention. They were created by the American artist Virginia Francis Sterrett, known for her taste in Art Deco. Her drawings are filled with fantastic images, delicate and dreamy, which seem to help the reader escape from harsh reality into a world of fairy‑tale adventures. Sterrett captured the atmosphere of that time in her pictures, making each page visually appealing and memorable. This book is of interest both to connoisseurs of classic French literature and to lovers of illustrated stories. It is perfect for reading aloud to children, allowing them to immerse themselves in a world of light jokes and gentle moral lessons, and it will also become a valuable addition to any home library, reminding readers of the close cultural ties between Russia, France, and the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries.