Yours For The Telling.

Square 8vo.

Sewn, orig. wrappers.

Edition limited to 485 copies (n. 98) printed on BFK Rives, signed by the artist and designer John Crombie and Sheila Bourne. Text hand-set in Garamont, illustrations hand-printed by Kickshaws. Translation into English of "Conte à votre façon" by the French writer Raymond Queneau, orig. publ. in "Le nouvel observateur" in July 1967. Here written in the tone of a fairy tale, "Yours for the telling" is the tale of various types of vegetables with a difference. The story is rendered in the form of a board game, with each page presented in a delicate scheme of purple, green and violet lines and squares on a white background. After every sentence the author offers the reader a choice of paths, for example: "Would you like to read the tale of three sprightly peas? If so, turn to page 4; if not turn to page 2". The readers are offered the chance to pursue their own reading of the story choosing between a series of alternative possibilities. Queneau rejected the notion of the passive reader, preferring instead to evoke more active participation from his readers. Here, in this board game book, progression through the "game" of story is determined by the reader's choice rather than the conventional throw of a dice.