Bemelmans' absurdly funny and irresistibly charming romp through France as he masquerades as a down-on-his-luck German prince.

When Ludwig Bemelmans encounters the dashing yet penniless Comte de St. Cucuface aboard a Paris train, he is swept into a deliciously absurd adventure across postwar France. Under the Count's gleeful tutelage, Bemelmans adopts the persona of a German prince, mastering the art of hoodwinking strangers with immaculate manners and effortless charm.

Together, the unlikely duo embark on a run of outlandish escapades, living extravagantly on nothing at all. They dine in grand hotels, befriend millionaires, outwit restaurateurs and regale nouveau-riche Americans with fantastical tales of their aristocratic pasts.

First published in 1952, this autobiographical travelogue from the beloved creator of Madeline brims with quick wit and whimsical illustrations. Bemelmans captures a France poised between eras, where fading old-world elegance mingles with the glitter of the new. Madcap, urbane and laugh-out-loud funny, it's a charming reminder that the most memorable journeys are the ones that let us become someone else entirely.