Joan of Arc Biography by Vita Sackville-West, the Gender-Bending Author who Inspired Woolf's Orlando

[Joan Of Arc.] SACKVILLE-WEST, Vita. Saint Joan Of Arc. London: Cobden-Sanderson, 1936. Signed by the author, Signed First edition, signed limited issue, signed by the author and not for sale; the signed limited issue, comprising only 120 copies in total. Sackville-West who was Virginia Woolf's lover, and the inspiration for Woolf Orlando, she relies on the detailed historical records from Joan of Arc trial, reconstructs the scenes of the story: the slow growth of Joan's convictions, her path to take command of the armies of France- Joan series of stunning military victories which lifted the Siege of Orléans and destroyed a large part of the English forces, reversing the course of the Hundred Years' War. Later, there was a reversal before the gates of Paris and she was captured in the spring of 1430. She was tried by a church court based "especially the impropriety of the garments to which she clung" according to the Trial transcript. Her soldier's clothing increasingly became an issue as the trial progressed and the tribunal failed to find other grounds for a conviction. Pushed again and again to the question of her adoption of soldier's attire, she admitted that she had begun wearing soldier's clothing at Vaucouleurs, when she set out across enemy-held territory to travel to Chinon. Many other questions about this matter were put to her which she refused to answer. But it did transpire that, on several occasions, she had been offered women's clothing and refused. On May 24, Joan was taken to a scaffold and told that she would be burned immediately unless she signed a document renouncing her visions and agreeing to stop wearing soldiers' clothing. Faced with immediate execution, she agreed to give up this clothing and sign the abjuration document. On May 28, Joan recanted her previous abjuration,and donned men's apparel once more. On May 30, 1431, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. Sackville-West does not forgive the French king disloyalty towards her. The very scarce Limited edition of 120 was bound in cream cloth, rather than the orange cloth used for the trade issue. Large octavo. Original cream buckram, spine lettered in gilt, top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed. Illustrated with frontispiece and a further 8 black and white plates and there are four maps including one folding map. Some toning to spine and top edge of front cover, covers somewhat foxed, internally fresh and bright. A very good copy.