Les Idées de Mignonnette: Unrecorded 19th-Century French Movable Book by A. Capendu

This is an exceptionally rare early 20th-century French movable book published by A. Capendu, Paris, around 1910. The book comprises 12 unnumbered pages, featuring charming text stories with illustrations and 5 full-page chromolithographed movable pull-tab color plates. Given its scarcity and the absence of any recorded copies online or in major libraries or databases, this book is a unique find.

The story follows the delightful adventures of a young girl playing the role of a "doll mother,". The cover features a beautifully detailed chromolithograph of a girl with her doll.
"Mignonnette" is a name or term of endearment that could translate to something like "Little Cutie" or "Sweetie" in English, though in this context, it's used as a proper name.

Condition: This first and likely only edition has been professionally restored. The movables, however, are all all original with no missing pieces. The original half-cloth binding shows minimal wear, with the cover paper on the rear board having been expertly renewed. The book block has been re-bound with new endpapers, and the text pages have had their margins reinforced. Despite some light signs of use on the movable parts, all pull-tabs and interactive elements remain fully functional

Collector's Corner:

Stories in this book:
1. "Pour se promener" translates from French to English as "For a Walk"
2, "Les Toilettes des Enfants" translates to "The Children's Toiletries" or "Children's Dressing."
3. "Pauvre Miette" translates from French to "Poor Miette" or "Poor Little Crumb."
4. "La Déception de Mignonette" translates to "Mignonette's Disappointment."
5. "La Cure Merveilleuse" translates from French to "The Wonderful Cure" or "The Miraculous Cure."

About the Author:

Marie Félicie Dufour, known by her pseudonyms Marie de Grandmaison and Marie Melchior, was a prominent French author born on October 5, 1846, in Bray-en-Thiérache, Aisne, and passed away on November 13, 1933, in Garches, Hauts-de-Seine. Her literary career was marked by a diverse range of contributions, including youth stories, patriotic homages, civility treatises, and guides on proper conduct.

Dufour's extensive body of work is documented by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BNF), with over a hundred titles listed in her bibliography. Many of these works can be accessed online through BNF's digital library, Gallica. Despite her prolific output, detailed biographical studies of her life and career are limited, and much about her remains unknown. However, her enduring legacy is reflected in the breadth and impact of her writings, particularly in the realm of children's literature and moral education.

She collaborated with the French publisher A. Capendu primarily during the late 19th century, with most of her known work for Capendu occurring in the 1880s. This period was marked by her involvement in producing educational and moralistic children's literature, which was a significant part of Capendu's publishing focus at the time.