Mistral: The Legendary Wind of Provence (inscribed to Joan Didion)
Italy: Damiani, 2018. First edition. Hardcover. A compelling association copy, inscribed on the title page: "For Joan [Didion], whose words about wind inspired me in my work. I hope you [?] the mistral. Happy Birthday! Rachel." Uncommon signed. A photo book dedicated to the famous mistral wind of the wine-growing Provence region of France. With an introduction by Bill Buford, former New Yorker fiction editor and Granta editor known for his culinary writing, in particular about French cooking. In his intro he specifically mentions Didion's wind chops: "One of the best evocations of wind is in Joan Didion's account of the Santa Ana, which is, of course, really a story of Los Angeles. The Santa Ana, along with the mistral . . . is also among the earth's nasty, persistent winds. It arrives with no warning, except a feeling that the air pressure might have dropped (what Didion describes as an ambient uneasiness, 'some unnatural stillness, some tension') . . .." He goes on to talk about his own experiences with the Santa Ana in LA. Rachel Cobb provides an afterword to her images, describing her forty-year relationship with Provence. With notes on the images at the rear, along with a page with the Beaufort scale and an innovative text-illustration map spread describing the origins of the mistral. Cobb is from Texas and now based in New York, where she was a contributing photographer for The New York Times. This is her first book. A large quarto with photo-illustrated board and red cloth spine; blue endpapers; 190 pages. A fine copy, and a wonderful association considering Didion's Santa Ana writing and California's own wine country. Fine. Item #2055
ISBN: 9788862086189
Price: $2,750.00 save 5% $2,612.50