The Road to Vichy (1942)

Inscribed by French Author and Philosopher Yves Simon,"The Philosopher of the Fighting French" Simon, Yves R. The Road to Vichy. 1918-1938. New York: Sheed & Ward, 1942. Octavo. Hardcover. 1st Edition. First edition of Yves Simon's powerful philosophical history and analysis of the route France took toward embracing fascism through the Vichy, inscribed: "To Helen R. Fairbanks. Yves Simon," and additionally signed by translator James Corbett, in the original dust jacket. French philosopher Yves Simon was known for his fervent embrace of democracy during World War II. After accepting an appointment as a visiting professor at Notre Dame in 1938, he found himself trapped at the university for the duration of the war. He used that time to advocate for an end to fascism. According to Notre Dame, Simon was praised in a leaflet dropped a day before the Allied invasion for "keeping alive the light of the French cause in the United States." This commitment earned him the moniker of "the phil