Normandie, The Epic of the Giant of the Seas, French Book by Bruno Foucart, 1985

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Normandie, L'Épopée du Géant des Mers (The Normandie, the Epic of the Giant of the Seas).
A French book by … Read more Normandie, L'Épopée du Géant des Mers (The Normandie, the Epic of the Giant of the Seas).
A French book by Bruno Foucart, 1985. The Normandie, that French ocean liner also known as the Floating Exhibition or Steel Monster, was operated by the Transatlantic Company from 1935 to 1939 and was eventually burned down in 1942. This very richly documented book pays tribute to this masterpiece. The swan song of the French way of the 1930s, the Normandie and its art of living, was extinguished forever in the din of war. This Western art of living, which consisted of big limousines and floating palaces, was forever silenced by the Second World War, not without a certain nostalgia. The French quintessence of the splendor of the 1930s, the liner Normandie, had to rise from its ashes on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of its inauguration. The aim was to achieve this aspiration through the release of this book. Charles Offrey, the former chief administrator of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, is leading the account of its construction and operation from 1935 to 1939. He was appointed to elucidate the circumstances of its fire in 1942. Bruno Foucart, professor of art history at the University of Paris-Sorbonne, analyzed the layout and the interior decoration. Claude Villers, radio and television producer and journalist, breathes life back into the Normandie by recounting the daily life of passengers and crew. Finally, with nostalgia marking the liner's history, François Robichon, an art historian, wanted to evoke the fetishistic passion that has graced Le Normandie since 1935. More than 400 illustrations, including many unpublished, make "Normandie" a brilliant and alive memory book that pays homage to this fabulous avatar of the French genius. This book includes many color and black-and-white illustrations, such as a double-page color foldout and a section on the liner Normandie.
The text in the book is in French, with chapters on the design and building of Normandie, life on board, its history, and "Normandiemania." This is a beautiful coffee table art book.
Features:
Title: Normandie, L'Epopée du Géant des Mers.
Author: Bruno Foucart, Charles Offrey, Francois Robicohn, Claude Villers.
Hardcover book with dust jacket.
Language: French.
400 black and white and full-color photographs and illustrations. 208 pages.
Dimensions: 11 in by 14.19 in (28 by 36 cm).
Published in 1985 by Editions Herscher. See less