Carton de Wiart / Guy Arnoux - Terres de Débat - 1945

CARTON DE WIART, Henry. Lands of Debate

Illustrations by Guy Arnoux.

Paris, Éditions Littéraires de France, 1945.
Small quarto (19.5 x 24.5 cm); paperback with a wraparound illustrated cover featuring a color vignette. Case in cardboard.
154 pages, 2 uncut leaves, 59 color plates by Guy Arnoux, both in-text and out-of-text.
Book nearly detached, slipcase rubbed with a chipped edge.

Magnificent illustrated edition of the historical novel by Count Henry Carton de Wiart (1869-1951), set in the Ath region during the war between Louis XIV and the King of Spain. Adorned with 14 color illustrations outside the text including one frontispiece, 25 color in-text illustrations, 10 color headpieces, 10 color tailpieces by Guy Arnoux (1866-1951).
Limited edition of 945 copies.
Pleasant copy, interior fresh.

During the Middle Ages and the Holy Roman Empire, the Land of Debates was a territory extending over the lordships of Lessines and Flobecq, between Flanders and Hainaut. This region was the scene of incessant struggles between the Counts of Hainaut and Flanders over a period spanning from the 13th to the 18th century. It was only in 1515, to address the problems, that Charles V placed the jurisdiction under sequestration. The Debates finally came to an end in 1737.

Count Henry Carton de Wiart (Brussels, January 31, 1869 – Uccle, May 6, 1951) was a Belgian writer and politician, devoted to the protection of children. He held several ministerial posts in the Belgian government and served as its prime minister from 1920 to 1921.